A New Order
by KhajiitWarriorSam
Summary: When Isran ordered me to investigate Dimhollow Crypt I didn't know what to expect, but I had hoped for a little treasure. The adventure that unfolded afterwards was nearly the end for me. It would only be months later that I found out what was inside that cave was much more valuable than any treasure in all of Skyrim. Serana x Female Dragonborn. Mature in later chapters.
1. A New Order: Dimhollow Crypt

I slowly swing my torch back and forth as I enter the cave, my clawed hand shaking. This is my first mission for The Dawnguard, and I'm terrified I'll screw it up. Isran and Tolan ordered me to go find out what was going on in 'Dimhollow Crypt', but I'm nearly vomiting in fear. Vampires are extremely powerful creatures, dragons being the only other enemies I can think of that exceed the vampire's power. No matter how strong, a single vampire couple snap my neck within a few seconds of fighting me. I long ago accepted I'm weak, but that doesn't make me any braver. My torch sputters in my hand, and I let out a single cry of fear as the light disappears. It suddenly occurs to me that I can see in the dark due to my Khajiit eyes, but I still relight the torch. My ability only last a few seconds, and a torch might spook away smaller enemies. I continue walking, and hear two people conversing up ahead. I place my still burning torch down, slink to the ground, and begin crawling forward. I perk my ears and squint, finally making out two vampires conversing near a dead body. I pull my long bow from my back, silently take a iron arrow from my quiver, and aim for the female vampire's head. I release my arrow, the projectile flying through the air. The woman staggers, but doesn't fall. Damn it. My heart begins banging against my rib cage, fear overcoming me.

Both of the vampires quickly scan the area, and I quickly grab another arrow from my quiver. One more arrow takes the woman down, blood gushing from her head. However, the male vampire is scanning the area. I curse my bright gold fur and deep blue eyes, they stand out in the dark. Sure enough, the man finds me and comes charging. I shoot five arrows at him before he's upon me, but none of them hit their marks. He bears down on me, revealing his fangs and hissing. I scream in fear and swing my bow, the vampire cursing as the wood hits his skull. I quickly back up, trying to put distance between me and my enemy. He roars like an animal, using his vampiric spell on me. I somehow manage to load my bow, hitting the man dead in the gut. He groans and falls to his knees, clutching the wood sprouting from his torso. Another arrow to the skull quickly puts an end to him. I sigh, my heart still trying to escape my body. I walk over and try to retrieve the arrows from his body, but both of them snap on their way out. I shake my head and throw the trash to the side, then grab my torch and begin heading down the stairs. A low growl to my right causes me to freeze, and when I flip around I see a death hound charging. I try to load my bow in time (my torch still in my hand), but it's no use. The monster leaps up on me, his icy fangs shredding my fur armor. My wooden bow comes down on its skull repeatedly, but it takes a few hits before it falls to the side.

I gasp in pain, looking down at my bleeding wound. Damn it. A quick healing spell stops the bleeding, but nothing can fix the gigantic tear in my armor. I briefly consider running away, but I force myself to go on. I've run away from too many things in life, I need to stick _something _out. I refused to go to Solstheim, I fled from High Hrothgar, and I haven't even returned to Jorrvaskr since I first stuck my head inside. Almost everyone in Skyrim talks about the cowardly Dovahkiin, but this is my chance at redemption. I manage to find the pull chain that opens the gate, and make my way through. I find a single dead dragur, her sword hanging by her side. I consider taking the weapon, but I doubt it would do me any good. If a enemy manages to sneak by my bow, then the best sword in Skyrim couldn't help me. I keep walking, but freeze almost instantly. A small stream in rushing below my feet, but a silhouette in visible in the light up ahead. I crouch down, load my bow, and fire. The person moves at the last second, my arrow _clinking _off the stone. I crouch even lower, the figure drawing a sword and looking around. I reach for a arrow, but find my quiver almost empty. I'll have to make these shots count. I take careful aim, wait for the figure to stop moving, and fire. The person collapses, and I sigh in relief. For once in my life something worked out for me.

However, I silently groan when three skeletons rush over to the corpse, looking around for the killer. My arrows are sure to shatter on their bones, but I can't charge them. I'm terrified of the walking dead (it's easier to say what I'm not afraid of), and I'm too weak to kill three of them before they swarm me. I simply sit still for a few minutes, debating what to do. Finally, I grab three arrows. I carefully take aim with each shot, and only head up the stairs when the last skeleton falls. I manage to save two arrows, but that's all. I take off my quiver and count my arrows. Only nine left. I may as well kill myself. I look longingly at the exit, but can't bring myself to leave. If I run out right now, then I know I'll never come back. A noise spooks me, but I keep going. I hate this, I hate everything about this. Adventuring is dangerous, vampires are deadly, and I'm running out of ammunition. Why couldn't anyone else in Skyrim be the damned Dovahkiin? Even a lowly peasant would do a better job than me. I'm snapped out of my thought by a draugr groaning, and I once again begin sneaking along the ground. I kill the monster and manage to save the arrow, heading deeper into the ruins. A vampire and death hound are patrolling some hallway, but I manage to sneak past them. I sigh in relief, but feel my already frantic heart begin picking up pace at a strange noise.

The hissing of a frostbite spider and the snarl of a vampire. I peak through the closed gate, a cowering vampire screaming as the spider bears down on him. The man dies, and I can't help cringing as the vampire's guts spew everywhere. I load my bow, aim for the spider's face, and fire. It roars and charges, but I simply leap away from the gate. For once I can feel brave, the monster that frightens me unable to reach me. I once again take aim, but this time the beast falls. I smile, pull the lever that raises the gate, and step over the spider corpse. I manage to get all my arrows back, but now I only have seven. I really should have learned some other form of fighting, but all I know is the bow and arrow. My claws are mostly for show, I can't rip my way out of a paper sack. My thoughts are interrupted by two people talking, and when I sneak forward I see two vampires speaking. The corpse of a Vigilant is beside them, but I honestly couldn't care less. I manage to shoot one, but the other comes charging. She's moving fast, and my quiver is emptied before she reaches me. I fired all six remaining arrows, and not a single one hit her. In an instant I'm fleeing, my bow useless in my hand. I barely have time to register a laugh before I feel a hand wrap around my tail, roughly yanking on it. My roar of pain echoes in the tomb, my body hitting the ground. The vampire pins me to the cold floor, revealing her fangs.

She's also casting that strange vampiric spell, the red glow sinking into my wrist. My bow slides away from my grasp, my empty quiver pressing into my back. I knew I should have stayed at home. The entire province would have continued to call me a coward, but I would continue to live. If I was lucky I might have been able to save enough to buy a mammoth tusk, give it to Ysolda, and convinced the woman to marry me. I doubt she would have considered marrying a craven, but my sense of shame dried up a long time ago. The vampire above me leans in, preparing to rip my throat out. I begin fighting, kicking and clawing whenever I can. The vampire leans back and laughs, all the while casting that spell into my veins. She once again leans in, lining her fangs up with my throat. It's only when I feel the fangs enter my neck that I finally manage to affect the vampire. An animalistic power comes over me, for once my Khajiit blood doing me some good. I roar, manage to get my feet under her, and launch her into the air. She flies into the ceiling, her neck snapping. I pant, dress my wounds, and snatch my bow. As I stand a strange sickness of the stomach comes over me, but I push it to the side and keep going. I'm almost there. I hope. Sure enough the gigantic circular monument in the middle of the cave is what I came here for. I rush down to it, examining everything I can. Eventually I find a button in the middle of the stone circles, and reach out to press it. In an instant a rusty spike shoots us, piercing through my hand. I open my jaws to roar in pain, but the spike is gone the next second. I look at my hand, a deep scar now there. I go to touch it, but a loud grinding noise stops me. I look over and see the braziers have come alive with a strange fire, but I have no idea what to do. I walk over to one, and when I slightly touch it the flaming bowl moves. It locks in place, the flame brighter than ever. Looks like I found out what to do.

I slowly walk over to each flaming brazier, pushing it back and forth until it locks. When the final bowl is in place a loud grinding and scrapping noise causes me to turn around, the center of the stone structure slowly descending. A monolith is revealed from beneath the pedestal, and I cautiously walk over to it. I'm out of arrows, but I still hold my bow in both my hands like a club. I carefully work my way around the strange structure, but freeze when one side begins sliding downward. I crouch down, my ears lie flat against my skull, and my bow is shaking in my hands. I'm not sure what I was expecting to be inside the monolith (I had hoped for treasure), but a woman is the last thing I thought would fall out of the stone tomb. She hits the ground on her hands and knees, grunting. The woman slowly rises to her feet, her red eyes looking quizzically at my bow. She takes one step towards me, but freezes when I hiss. She's clearly a vampire and I'm certain she could kill me in an instant, but she probably just stopped to avoid a confrontation. The woman sighs, looks around, then asks me, "Who are you?". I consider hissing again, but the woman might just snap my neck for it. So, I tell her, "My name is of no importance. What were you doing in there?". The woman rolls her eyes and answers with a question, "Why were you here?".

I decide not to repeat the cycle and say, "A man named Isran told me to come here and find out what was in here.". She furrows her brow and tells me, "I don't know anyone by that name.". I decide to continue the conversation and question her, "Who were you expecting?". She eyes me suspiciously and answers, "Someone else.". She looks around once again and awkwardly asks, "Do you know how to get out of here?". I shake my head, my arms tiring from holding my bow up for so long. The woman once again sighs, and I ask her, "Why were you locked away like that?". Her eyes snap back to look at me, the woman answering, "It's clear you have some questions, and want to report back to 'Isran'. Get me back home and I'll answer all of your questions.". I slowly stand up, lower my bow, and tell her, "Just don't get in my way.". She puts a lock of hair behind her ear and says, "I was just about to tell you the same thing.". She motions for me to take the lead, and I hesitantly begin guiding the way out of the gigantic circle. This mission isn't exactly what Isran told me it would be, but at least I haven't screwed it up. Yet.


	2. Harkon

I exit the cavern by crossing the small stone bridge on the opposite side of the room where I came in from, the vampire right behind me. Actually, too close behind me. I'm already petrified of her, I don't like the idea that she's so close to me when I can't see her. I stop, look over my shoulder, and motion for the vampire to back up. She rolls her scarlet eyes, but takes a few steps back. Good, now I can focus on getting out of this place. My quiver is empty, and I'll need to find some more arrows before my next battle. Unfortunately, I never get that chance. As we cross the bridge the two decorative gargoyles shudder, and suddenly shatter into a thousand pieces. Two tremendous monsters take the statues' place, roaring their anger and frustration at the world. My hand instinctively flies to where I keep my ammunition, but my fingers only brush against air. The gargoyles charge, terror locking its sinewy fingers around my neck. Without thinking I leap over the side of the bridge, sinking into the filthy water below. A red light flashes above my head, the sound of muffled howls and shrieks barely reaching my ears. I struggle to the surface of the water, my thick pelt and furry armor drinking in the water. When my head breaches the surface the roars and screams become clearer, the flashing red light now a little brighter. The vampire must be fighting the monsters, and from the sound of it she's doing a fairly decent job.

I begin splashing around, looking for a way out of the water. After a few minutes, I find a small stone ledge that I heave myself on to. The sounds of fighting have fallen silent, the red light gone from the cave. I simply lie there on the freezing rock, panting and shaking. The sound of footsteps reaches my ears, but I can't bring myself to get up. Maybe fighting two gargoyles would've been easier. The footsteps seem to speed up, whatever's making them obviously spotted me. The vampire's boot appears in the line of my vision, a glob of blood stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Her other foot lightly kicks my side, the vampire practically snarling, "Get up, we need to get out of here.". I consider telling her to go take a flying leap, but decide not to. The woman could easily cave my head in with her shoe, or simply push me back in the water and allow me to drown. My arms shake as I force myself up, and eventually the vampire gets tired of waiting. She grabs my fur armor in her fist, dangles me up in the air, and drops me back on my feet. My knees shake and I think I'm going to fall, but I manage to steady myself. The vampire looks at me with a mix of pity and contempt, then steps aside and motions for me to take the lead. I have no idea why she's following me, but I still take the lead. What else am I suppose to do? Tell a vampire to take charge? She'd probably drain me of blood and go on her merry way.

My legs are sore and occasionally threaten to buckle under my weight, but I somehow manage to walk. I feel my bow slapping against my back, and notice it feels off. As I walk I reach behind me, and feel the string has snapped. Damn it, this is the only bow I have. In fact, it's the only bow I've ever had. Hadvar gave it to me almost three years ago, right after we escaped Helgen. I'll need to find someone to restring it, or manage to convince someone to let me 'borrow' theirs. There's no way I can afford to buy one, my ten pieces of gold are clanking together noisily in my coin purse. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a low creaking, the sound of a skeleton. We've left the cavern, and we're now in a tiny room. Sure enough, a skeleton begins hobbling from the shadows. Without thinking I draw my bow from my back, cursing when I see the snapped thread. However, the vampire takes care of that problem for me. A shard of ice leaps from her palm, shattering the walking pile of bones. All I can do is stand there and look at her in a mix of fear and awe, her power shocking. It might not have been a big spell, but I couldn't have cast it if my life depended on it. I don't have time to question the woman, the vampire moving and walking up a set of stairs. At the top she yanks on the lever, and the sound of a rusted gate opening greets our ears. Almost instantly a few draugr groan and make us aware of their presence.

I once again feel hot fear pump through my veins, but the vampire easily kills the two and continues on to the next room. I bound after her, the woman apparently deciding I'm not exactly the adventurer she thought me to be. Too bad for her, she's not the first person to expect a dashing hero and get a sniveling weakling. The next room is a gigantic amphitheater, the heat from the fire in the middle of the room causing me to sweat. Before we're even fully in the room I hear the sound of groaning, creaking, and moaning. The sound of a horde of living dead waking up and wondering who disturbed their ancient slumber. In an instant the vampire is rushing down the stairs, flames and frost leaping from her hands. In an impressive display the woman frees the room of enemies, her magic even more impressive than I could have ever imagined. I expect the woman to keep going, but instead she walks back over to me. She doesn't say anything, but motions for me to once again take the lead. The area is free of threats, so I have no quarrel with being put in the position of authority. I'm walking down the steps when I hear the words of the ancient dragons, a word wall close by. I tilt my head, decide which way the noise is coming from, and rush to it. The wall teaches me a strange shout, but I'll never be able to learn it. Learning it would require killing a dragon, and the gigantic monsters are one of my greatest fears.

I turn around to leave, but freeze when I see the vampire has a small flame burning in her hand. She practically roars, "What was that?!". Oh shit, I forgot she wouldn't know I was the Dragonborn. I explain the situation as quickly as I can, anxious to get out of this cave. When my story is done I see skepticism in the woman's red eyes, but she nods and once again motions for me to lead her out of the cave. If she never says anything this is going to be a boring trip to her 'home'. Speaking of which, as I walk I ask her, "Where exactly is your home?". She takes an unnecessarily deep breath, lets it out, and answers, "It's by Solitude. Get me there and I'll show you the way.". That doesn't sound good for me, but I can't exactly argue with a vampire. I find the gigantic chest behind the stone throne, and quickly loot it. When I have the treasure I came here for I find the exit, the crisp Skyrim air a relief from the stuffy catacomb. The vampire looks confused when I begin going back around the mountain, towards the entrance. Half an hour later she realizes why, my chocolate colored horse chewing on some grass. The walk back was taxing, but now we don't have to walk all the way to Solitude. I mount up and begin to ride away, but the woman coughing stops me. I look down at her and ask, "What?". She growls, "I'm not walking to Solitude alone.". There went riding ahead of her. I dismount, unsaddle my horse, and hop back on. The woman climbs up beside me, hanging on to my stomach.

I kick my horse in the side, the mare whinnying and refusing to move. I'm aware that riding double on a horse is bad for the animal, but she'll have to suck it up. I kick her harder, and she finally begins to trot along. The woman clears her throat and tells me, "I don't think I ever got your name.". I nod and answer, "And you're not going to. Names are of no importance.". I can practically feel her roll her eyes as she says, "Right. Well, my name's Serana. Now, can I have yours?". I shake my head, and carefully guide my horse down the winding trail. Serana seems upset as she tells me, "I need to know your name. Contrary to what you think, names are very important. What if I wanted to call you?". My ears flick in annoyance as I calmly state, "Calling Khajiits tends to be overrated. You may as well call a horse, only there's a chance the horse will come.". Our conversation is temporarily stopped when my horse freezes up, her nostrils flaring. I look around, and quickly slap the beast on the side when I see no threat. She stomps her hoof, but eventually resumes walking. Serana once again clears her throat and resumes speaking, "I still think I need to know your name. What if I wanted to call you for something good? Like treasure.". I shrug and counter, "If you screamed 'treasure' I would come running. See? No need for names.". I can feel the woman shake her head as she sighs, "Fine, have it your way. As long as you get me home.". I spur my horse on a little faster as I question the woman, "What exactly is your home like?". I'm trying to find out if I should go inside or just run away. The vampire chuckles and says, "You'll see.". That doesn't sound encouraging, but I keep riding. What's a woman to do?

* * *

><p>The gigantic castle stands atop the rocky island, salty waves constantly warring against the tiny dock. Serana and I row as fast as we can, a storm threatening to break across the horizon. The water is already churning, threatening to overthrow us. We finally dock the tiny boat and step onto the island, Serana hanging back. I begin to head up to the gigantic building, but Serana clears her throat and stops me. When I turn to her she tells me, "When we get in there, just let me take the lead. It'll be a lot easier.". I nod, once again heading up to the castle. Red hot fear is spiking in my mind, but I manage to numbly make it to the gated castle door. I have to do this or I could very well end up as dinner. Serana tells the elderly man on the other side of the gate to allow us entrance, and soon enough we're inside the gloomy palace. A deep feeling of hate fills my stomach. This place is dark, damp, and smells of rotten corpses. If I could I would leave this place and never come back, and not just because of the vampires inside. Serana goes ahead and goes into the main court area, but I hang behind. I even go so far as to try to open the door, but it's locked tight. I'm stuck in a castle full of vampires. It's a miracle I haven't had a heart attack. I sigh and follow Serana, hanging back and listening to her and her apparent father talk.<p>

Eventually the man calls me downstairs, and I have no choice but to go. He offers me an evil smile and asks, "Who is it that has brought my daughter back to me?". Serana quickly explains the name situation, and Harkon (I think that's his name, I heard Serana say it) tells me, "I have but one reward that is equal to my daughter. My-". Serana coughs, interrupting him. He snarls at her, "What?". She pulls him to the side and begins rapidly whispering to him. They begin talking quietly, occasionally shooting me glances. I hear a few words, the most prominent words being coward, weak, and unfit. They both say the words, so I can't exactly make out the context in which they're being used. Although it's the general assumption you don't call someone you like a coward. I know I'm a craven, but that doesn't take the sting out of hearing someone call me it. Finally, Harkon pushes Serana to the side and turns back to me. He once again smiles and continues, "Blood. My blood. You know what Serana is, but now I'm offering that power to you.". He must see the terror and disbelief on my face because he continues, "Serana has told me about your behavior in the cave. You're one of the most powerful people in Tamriel, but beneath your breast a weakling's heart beats.". His grin only seems to grow wider as he says, "Vampires' hearts stop beating. Accept my offer, and I can assure you that you'll find your cowardly instincts easier to ignore. Refuse my reward, and I cannot allow a powerful craven to continue polluting my air with her breath. Now, what say you?". It seems I have a choice. A terrible choice, but a choice. It's painfully clear which path I'll take.


	3. The Chalice

I nervously clear my throat, the room full of vampires all looking at me. I tell Harkon, "I'll accept your gift.". In an instant he's upon me, ivory fangs gleaming in the firelight. One of his sinewy hands wraps around my shoulder, trapping me in place. His other hand grabs my golden mane, yanking my head to the side. I can't even scream as his teeth pierce my neck, almost pushing past the blood filled veins and into my windpipe. A loud sucking sound accompanies the blood flowing from my veins and into Harkon's waiting mouth. I can't help wondering if my fur ruins the meal for him, I imagine it would. I shake those thoughts away, focusing on being turned into a soulless monster. I expected extreme pain and agony, but the bite is actually relatively painless. However, Harkon's crushing grip is almost enough to break my bones. I mentally curse and try to break away, but a sudden burst of dizziness overcomes me. I blink and struggle to remember what I was doing, submitting to the vampire's grasp. The light from the fire slowly begins to dim, darkness clawing at the edges of my vision. I blink, and realize the action is the only thing I'm capable of. I repeat it, and feel Harkon's fangs leave my body. A drop of blood swells from the wounds, slowly running down my neck. The vampire licks up the red liquid, ignoring the thick pelt that covers my neck. The man pulls away, leaving me standing on my own. I blink one last time, then feel my knees connect with the floor as the world goes black.

* * *

><p><strong>Serana POV:<strong>

The golden Khahiit collapses, her useless bow clattering against the freezing floor. Hestla scuttles forward and begins dragging the woman away, probably to wherever my father decides to train new vampiric lords. At least I don't have to follow the craven around anymore. She didn't lash out at me or attempt to escape, but it's clear she's weak and a coward. I turn away from the unconscious Khajiit and go to leave the room, but before I can take a single step a deep voice calls, "Serana.". I've said all I want to my father, but I turn and ask, "Yes?". Harkon struts over to me, pulling me away from the other vampires. He lowers his voice and tells me, "I plan on sending your little friend on an errand to retrieve The Bloodstone Chalice, and I want you to tail her. Make sure she doesn't reveal her secret to the public, that she gets the chalice, and returns here. If she attempts to flee Skyrim, betray us, or butchers any prey she might come upon, then snap her neck and return here. In roughly five minutes that sniveling Khajiit shall leave here, follow her and don't be seen. Understand?". I have no idea why my father is sending me to simply watch over the Khajiit, I'm not her mother and there are far less important people he could send. However, I can tell from his tone of voice that there's no room for compromise. So, I nod and Harkon quickly struts away. I sigh and sit down, waiting for the newest vampire to leave the castle.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

I slowly exit Castle Volkihar, my useless bow in my hand. I found it on the floor, but other than that it was fine if you don't count the broken string. However, my armor is another story. It's tattered, ripped, and filthy. It's the only armor I've ever had, and it's clear to me that I need a new set. I sigh and get into the wooden boat, I'll find some more armor eventually. Right now I need to focus on restringing my bow, or else I'll be completely defenseless when I go find 'The Bloodstone Chalice'. I considered simply leaving the castle and never returning, but Harkon seems like the kind of man who would hunt me down and kill me. I'll just find their stupid blood drink, then try to disentangle myself from the group of vampires. It may take years, but I need to escape them. I took the 'gift' of vampirism purely to stay alive, now I just have to find a way to take back control of my life. I push my thoughts away and begin rowing, the stony banks of the castle slowly being swallowed by fog. My arms are burning by the time I reach the banks, but at least I made it there in one piece. My horse is where I left her, chewing on some frostbitten grass. She sighs when I mount her, but follows my commands and begins trotting away. Suddenly, the clouds part and the sun hits my skin. I roar in pain, startling my mount and causing her to buck. I smack her down and close my eyes, my head pounding.

The fact that I'm a vampire hits me like a punch. I'm a walking corpse, an abomination in the eyes of the gods. I was so busy thinking about my life that I never thought about what'll happen after I die. I almost fall off of my horse in shock, but manage to yank on the reins and keep riding. I'll wallow in self-pity later, right now I need to think about how I'll get the chalice. Harkon promised my cowardly ways would no longer be inside me, but so far he's been a liar. I still feel my terror and weakness, if anything I feel it more. Maybe I'm just an oddball, or Harkon is a sick man who enjoys watching the weak grow weaker. At this point both are just as likely. My thoughts are interrupted by a howl, and I promptly kick my horse in the side. She screams and runs, the wolves chasing us. After a while the wolves give up, but I keep going. I need to get down near Riften as soon as possible, sneak inside wherever the chalice is hidden, and steal it. However, the sun smiles at me the entire ride. Each breath seems harder, each movement requires more effort, and there's always a little shine to my vision. Damn, I know why vampires only come out at night. When I reach Riften I dismount, put my horse in the stables, and pull out a map. The trek through the woods is terrifying, enemies and dangers behind every tree and in every shadow. When I finally find the place I sigh in relief, but grow concerned when I see a bandit outside. I forgot to fix my bow, so all I have is my claws. If I leave now I'll never want to return, so I guess I'll have to fight this battle with my puny nails. Great.

I walk up to the bandit, but inwardly groan in relief when he nods at me. He points behind him and says, "Inside.". I have no idea what 'inside' means, but I decide I might as well find out. Another bandit nods at me as I walk, but I ignore her and keep going. Inside another guard snarls at me to behave, then allows me inside the actual place. Coughing, fumes, and the smell of drugs greets me. I make my way over to a dealer, the Orc protected by a fence. She smiles when she sees me, probably thrilled to have a Khajiit customer. She tells me the price and shows me the drug, but I'm reluctant to take it. Is this really where Harkon sent me? Is this a test to see if I can resist the thrill of skooma? If it is, then I've definitely failed. I've been on the drugs since I was ten, in Elsweyr skooma is cheaper than water at times. And, dealers almost always give them to children to get a lifelong customer.

Not to mention, this skooma is suppose to be stronger than normal. Perfect for the user that's build up an immunity. I find a booth and sit down, breaking the seal on the bottle. A quick sniff of the liquid burns my nose, making me aware of how strong it is. I once again hesitate, why would Harkon send me to a skooma den? Then, the fumes slowly get to me and I decide I don't care. I chug the liquid, the skooma like a trail of ice leading to my stomach. When the bottle's empty I toss it to the side, stretching out along the bench as the drug takes effect. This is by far the best skooma I've ever had, the liquid is tasteless like good skooma should be. I can't even taste the moon sugar, which is the one thing that usually sticks out. I stop analyzing the drug and begin enjoying the sensation, I never know when I'll get this chance again. I only have time to sigh before my world once again goes dark.

* * *

><p>I slowly wake up, a thousand tiny workers hammering away inside my skull. I try to push myself up, but end up falling on my face. People are talking a few feet away from me, and I couldn't care less. The dirt touching my face is disgusting, wet with what I hope is blood. Finally, I decide to get up. I don't get all the way up, but I am able to sit up. Two vampires are talking outside my cell, not caring that their prisoner is awake. Don't they know I'm a fellow vampire? All vampire stick together, right? I always assumed they did, but it appears not. I rub my face free of dirt, spit, and a little blood, then scoot over to the cell bars. One vampire spares me a glance, but that's it. Then, the two go back to talking. My ears are clogged, so I plug my nose and try to breathe out. My ears pop and I release my nose, then swallow so my ears return to normal. I'm finally able to hear the two speak, and make out they're talking about blood and something. After a second it hits me, they're talking about the chalice! I instantly listen as closely as I can, but their conversation is over. The two go away, leaving me alone. I inwardly curse and try to stand, this time falling on my back. Well, isn't this wonderful? In a vampire's lair, still a little stoned, and unable to move. It's easy to see I've screwed myself on this one. And, since I never travel with a companion I'm on my own. Wonderful.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Serana POV:<strong>

I follow the Khajiit as closely as I can, but she's on horseback and easily loses me. I sigh and keep walking, I know where's she's going. The sun is agony, the weather is horrible, and my feet ache. Over the course of the walk I become increasingly pissed with everything, at one point even kicking a passing goat. It screams and runs away, but that's not enough for me. I kill the creature with an ice spike, blood spewing from the wound. That brings me some small amount of pleasure, and I'm able to continue my walk in peace. When I reach the drug den I don't see the Khajiit's horse, but after 'questioning' the doorman I find out she's there. By questioning I mean intimidating, and the 'questions' end with the doorman getting a snapped neck. Tragic, but unavoidable. When I step inside another doorman greets me, but quickly steps to the side. Now I have to be careful, I can't be seen by the Khajiit. A dealer offers me some drugs, but a rude gesture is my only answer. I woke up yesterday, I had to tail a Khajiit across Skyrim, and now I have to go into a drug den. The dealer curses me out, but I ignore her and travel farther into the drug house. I break open the lock and the dealer screams at me, but another gesture keeps her in her place. I go deeper, sticking to the shadows. I groan when I find the Khajiit in a jail cell, high on skooma and sitting on her ass. I can already tell I should have gotten a drink before I left the castle. The Khajiit suddenly falls onto her back, snoring. Make that two drinks.


	4. A Mission Completed

I carefully sneak down to the Khajiit's cell, looking at the unconscious vampire. Her golden pelt is lighter than I remember, her claws are now wickedly long, and her teeth brush against her chin. I can already see it's going to be hard for the woman to blend in with the general population, or feed for that matter. I brush off my concerns and examine the lock on the cell door, sighing when I realize I don't have something to pick the lock. However, a powerful flame spell melts the metal into a glob of gunk. I ease the door open, the hinges groaning as they're used. The Khajiit is heavier than she looks, but I easily drag her from the cell. There, now we're even. She woke me from my slumber and I freed her from her imprisonment, that sounds about even. But that's all the help I can give the woman, she'll have to do the rest on her own. As if on cue the woman begins groaning, slowly rolling about as her mind fights to regain consciousness. I quickly disappear into the shadows, crouching down and making sure to remain unseen. The Khajiit slowly sits up, rubbing her head. She doesn't even question why she's out of her cage, she simply stands up and begins walking around. I sigh when she simply walks around the general area, skooma still pumping through her veins. Looks like I'll have to help a little more. I take a rock and throw it along the path she needs to go, the Khajiit going to investigate the noise.

She seems to regain a little bit of her wits because she begins walking up the ramp to the second level, her hands placed drunkenly in front of her. A small bit of worry gnaws at my intestines, but I push it aside and begin tailing her. The upper level is crawling with vampires, thralls, and hounds, so it's almost impossible to remain unseen. However, any enemy that glimpses me quickly dies with a shard of ice in their skull. I promised myself not to offer the Khajiit any more aid, but my father would grow angry if the newest vampire sees me following her. The Khajiit in question is practically useless in the fight, fleeing and cowering more often than not. Even with the drugs inside her she remains a gutless coward. Absolutely wonderful. The vampire attempts to hide, but the enemies are numerous and find her. The battle I'm forced to watch causes me to flinch, the Khajiit swarmed by enemies. She lets out a scream of terror and begins slashing wildly, a madwoman desperate to cling to her pathetic life. The enemies slash, hack, and tear at the woman. I'm almost certain she'll die, but she somehow slays every enemy that's stupid enough to come within the range of her wicked claws. The woman falls to her hands and knees, panting. Her claws are dripping in blood, her fur armor soaked in the red liquid. After a few minutes, she regains her breath and stands up.

Her body is riddled with wounds, a black tar like crud leaking from the cuts. The Khajiit attempts to heal herself, but her magic supply is almost nonexistent. She shakes her head in disappointment, but pushes on. I make sure to always be behind her, and carefully watch her in case she suddenly decides to turn around. Finally, the woman reaches a large area filled with vampires and hounds. The fight takes the same course as the last one, but this time the woman is in even worse condition. She's simply lying on her side on the ground, gasping as more crud leaks from her body. I resist the urge to aid the woman, I've repaid my debts. When the woman finally regains her strength she flips onto her elbows and knees, her eyes longingly gazing at the exit. I mentally beg the Khajiit not to flee, I don't want to snap her neck. She might be a gigantic coward, but she did aid me when I needed it. The Khajiit finally manages to stand, her knees threatening to buckle. She once again tries to heal herself, but all she can manage is one burst of magic. She snarls ever curse known in Tamriel, and some I'm certain she made up. She stumbles around, searching for something. She yanks something from a vampire's pocket, chugging the liquid. Her wounds stop bleeding, and she's able to once again walk like a normal person. Seems she found a healing potion. At least I don't have to worry about her kneeling over and dying on her own.

She moves on to the next area, her tail swinging behind her. It's only then I realize her tail is feathered like a golden retriever's tail. Odd, I would have thought her tail would be like a cat's. I push that thought to the side and follow her, the sound of fighting already greeting me. The room she's fighting in is below our current level, so I can spy on the fight without getting involved. Two vampires are fighting the Khajiit, and two hounds snarl and snap from their cage. With a sickening _rip_ the female vampire's throat is yanked out, stringy bits of meat clinging to the Khajiit's claws. The man roars and the Khajiit returns to her cowardly state, running away. The man chases her around the room, only a few inches away from grabbing her flowing tail. However, it seems the young vampire has some sort of brain hidden inside her thick skull. A gigantic trap is in the middle of the room, the low lighting almost making it invisible. The Khajiit rushes towards it, jumping at the last second. She barley clears the gap, falling flat on her face on the other side. However, the man isn't as lucky. He barrels down the dark hole, screaming in a mix of fear and anger. A sickening _splat_ and _shink_ telling me the man has fallen on hidden spikes. The Khajiit slowly gets to her feet, ascending to the second story to pull a hidden lever. The sound of a door opening behind me tells me to hide better.

However, all I can do is press myself against the shadows as the woman struts by me. When she's past I once again follow her, praying the end of the ruin is near. My prayers are answered when I enter the next room, the Khajiit filling the chalice from a bubbling fountain of blood. Now all she needs is the blood of an ancient vampire, then she can return to the castle and I can stop tailing her. I consider revealing myself and helping her find some vampire with ancient blood, but before I can two shadowy figures step into the room. I instantly recognize them as Salonia and Stalf, two of the lowly scrabblers of court. Salonia steps forward, chuckling as she says, "It's really too bad, you know. The little accident you had here, completely unexpected...". My stony heart would stop beating if it had a pulse, the Khajiit slowly backing away from the older vampire. The oaf known as Stalf snorts, "Yeah, too bad. Lord Harkon's new favorite, dead so soon after joining the family.". Salonia laughs before answering, "We're just lucky I was here to return the Chalice to Vingalmo, so he could make sure Harkon gets it back.". Stalf freezes, turns to Salonia, and says, "Wait, what? That's not what we agreed. We take it back together.". Salonia snarls, "Idiot. You didn't really think I'd let you walk out of here either, did you? Vingalmo wants you both dead.". Stalf all but roars, "Well that's just fine. Orthjolf told me to finish off anyone who got in the way.".

The two ancient vampires begin fighting each other, the Khajiit wisely slinking into the shadows as they tear each other to shreds. After a long fought battle, Stalf falls to the ground. Salonia turns around in a flash, hissing and searching for the young Khajiit. The Khajiit in question is still sulking in the cover of darkness, slowly making her way around Salonia. The Khajiit manages to sneak around her, and gets close to Stalf's body. She grabs the corpse and drags it into the shadows, probably filling the chalice with his blood. Salonia keeps looking, but can't find the Khajiit. That is, until she tries to sneak out. The torches near the exit light up the area, and bathe the Khajiit's golden pelt in a shower of dim light. The Khajiit almost makes it, but Salonia turns around at just the right time. The elder vampire hisses and leaps, hands outstretched to snatch the young vampire. The Khajiit screams and twist around in Salonia's grip, trying to free herself of the older vampire's grip. It doesn't work, and the two begin wrestling on the ground like a pair of cats. The fight ends with Salonia on top of the Khajiit, repeatedly slamming the younger woman's head against the ground. I stand to help, but the Khajiit has already gone limp. I sneak back into the shadows, Salonia searching the Khajiit's corpse. She laughs in triumph when she finds the chalice, standing up.

Salonia turns around to leave, the chalice tightly in her grasp. The Khajiit suddenly comes to life, leaping on Salonia. The elder screams as she goes down, the chalice flying from her grasp. However, I think a bigger concern of hers is the Khajiit currently pinning her. The young vampire's hands are busy holding the elder vampire down, but her mouth is free. Those gigantic fangs are put to good use, crushing Salonia's skull into a pulp of grey brain matter, gleaming bone shards, and a ooze of black blood. The Khajiit curses and spits out the gunk, desperately trying to free her mouth of skull juices. She slowly stands, still trying to clean her mouth. The Khajiit won the fight against Salonia, but almost every warrior in Skyrim would agree playing dead is a coward's technique. But I suppose that doesn't really matter, the young vampire did what she had to do. She walks over to the chalice, picks it up, and makes a hasty exit. I closely follow her, the sound of fighting once again greeting me. The dealer, customers, and guard are all thralls. However, the Khajiit isn't anywhere to be seen. I push past the snarling thralls and leave, the two guards outside gone. I examine the area and see horse tracks leading off to the west, and the Khajiit's horse is gone. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. I groan and begin walking, dreading the long trudge back to the castle.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

I slowly open the door to the castle, the chalice still firmly in my grasp. I was terrified I would somehow lose it, but it's still clutched in my hand. I find the vampire who gave me the chalice as quick as I can, giving him the accursed cup. He thanks me, rattles off a small speech, then tells me to go speak with Harkon. I sigh and look at the door, longing to escape. However, at this point that would be suicide, so I gather my shred of courage and find the vampire. I locate him in his study reading. When he sees me he puts down his book. I ask him if he wanted to see me, and the vampire instantly jumps right into conversation, "Yes, I did. When I told you that I was grateful for my daughter's safe return, I told the truth. But I did not tell you everything.". When I don't speak he continues, speaking of his plans and my part in them. I hardly pay attention, too terrified of the vampire to think of much else. When his monologue is over he tells me to go to the main chamber, then leaves. I hurry to the main hall as quickly as I can, making sure to stand away from the other vampires. Harkon appears in the balcony, clears his throat, and says, "Scions of the night! Hear my words! The prophesied time is at last upon us. Soon we will claim dominion over the sun itself, and forge a new realm of eternal darkness.".

Everyone stops what they're doing, listening to Harkon's speak, "Now that I have reclaimed one of my Elder Scrolls, we must find a Moth Priest to read it. I have spread false rumors about the discovery of an Elder Scroll in Skyrim to lure a Moth Priest here. Now it is time to see if those efforts have borne fruit. Go forth, and search the land for rumors of a Moth Priest within our borders. Look to the cities. Speak to innkeepers, carriage drivers, anyone who would meet a traveler. Go now, and carry out this task. This is my command!" When the speech is done every vampire scatters, carrying out Harkon's will. I sigh and turn, about to make my grand escape. However, before I can take a step Serana appears beside me. She clears her throat and ask, "Do you have a moment?". I absolutely do not, but I nod to avoid angering a powerful vampire. Serana offers a small nod of gratitude and says, "I have an idea of where we should go to find out where this 'Moth Priest' is.". Hot fear stiffens my spine as I ask, "We?". Serana gives me a quizzical look and says, "We. That is, unless you have any objections.". Only the fact that she terrifies me, I don't want to be a part of this fucked up group, and I'm certain I'm going to die if I go looking for the priest. However, I know it would be a stupid thing to say to a vampire. So, I shake my head and numbly say, "We.". Serana nods in agreement, steps to the side, motions for me to lead, and says, "I'll tell you where the lead is when we reach the shore.". I nod and begin walking, wondering how I got mixed up in this mess.


	5. The Moth Priest

When we reach the shore I practically fall out of the boat, exhausted. The sun came out about halfway across and it easily drained all of my strength. Serana steps out beside me, completely relaxed. She offered to row for me, but my pride made me finish the job. Now I'm regretting that decision, slowly pushing myself off the ground. I feel Serana grab my shoulders, heaving me up so I'm standing. I stumble a little, manage to stop myself from falling on my ass, and pat Serana's shoulders in thanks. Then, I walk over to my horse and mount her. She once again whinnies when Serana climbs on behind me, but the horse is trained enough that she doesn't buck or fight. It's only then I ask, "Where's your lead?". The vampire wraps her arms around my stomach and answers, "The College of Winterhold.". No. Absolutely not, that's way too far away. However, I don't want to anger Serana so I offer, "Why don't we ask the carriage driver at Solitude? If he doesn't know anything, then we can go to Winterhold. I think it's too far out to go to first.". I feel Serana's arms tighten, and for a brief moment I fear the woman is about to rip me apart. But the vampire simply says, "Okay.". I inwardly sigh in relief and kick my horse, the beautiful mare instantly trotting away. The horse picks up speed and goes as fast as possible, Serana forced to grip my stomach as tight as she can to keep from being thrown off.

I've been riding for quite a while, so it's rather easy for me to predict the motion and thoughts of my steed. Serana isn't near as lucky, I hear her constantly grunting in discomfort and feel her leaning to one side or the other. As we ride the snow kicks up around us, a white veil spraying up around my mare's hooves. A single wolf howls as we pass his lair, but no enemies come to greet us. When we finally reach the stable my horse stops in an instant, Serana's forehead slamming into my back. The vampire cruses and hops off our steed, I carefully slide down after her. I pat my horse and promise to feed her an apple later, then strut over to the carriage driver. Without waiting for him to say anything I snarl, "Seen a moth priest around these parts?". He raises an eyebrow and ask, "He that funny fella wearing a robe? Maybe I have and maybe I haven't, depends what you're offering.". I reach for my coin purse, then freeze. I'm a damned vampire, why am I paying this mortal?! I growl, leap up beside him, and grab him by the front of his shirt. I raise one fist in the air as I tell him, "I'm offering you my fist in your eye socket if you don't tell me where he went!". The driver squeals like a piglet and says, "He wanted me to take him to Dragon Bridge! Dragon Bridge!". Damn, I've never done that before. I don't know what came over me. I quickly snap out of my thoughts. I hop down and walk back to my horse, Serana standing beside her with an appreciative look on her face. I remount and offer her my hand, telling her, "Let's go.".

* * *

><p>My horse is heaving by the time we reach the small city, the whites of her eyes showing. When I dismount I dig around in my pockets, but all I can find is half of a carrot. I go ahead and give it to her, the animal happily gobbling down the food. Serana patiently waits for me, allowing me to lead her into the city. It's the middle of the day, but it still takes me a few minutes to find a guard. When I question her about the priest she simply points across the bridge. Serana and I share a sigh, then begin heading back to our horse. The creature begins to back away from me, refusing to be ridden. Without me asking her, Serana flanks the beast and forces the creature to halt or fight us. She's always been a sweet tempered thing, and allows us to mount her rather than try to cave our skulls in. I notice her back dipping as Serana mounts her, and she even bucks a little before following my command. I'd better start to go easy on her, or else I might end up having to slit her throat. I push those thoughts aside and smack the beast's side, the creature barely able to maintain a brisk trot. When we finally reach the destroyed carriage my horse is done with us, nearly kicking Serana as she dismounts. The beast whinnies her anger, then turns and gallops away. Serana hisses and prepares a spell, but I motion and tell her, "Let her go, I'll catch her in a few minutes.". I suddenly realize I've given Serana a command, and fear grips my dead heart.<p>

I expect Serana to ignore my command or turn around and kill me, but instead she puts away her spell and calmly waits for me to examine the scene. Strange, but I shouldn't question it right now. I find a dead horse, a corpse, and a dead vampire. I search all of them, finding a letter on the vampire and cutting some meat from the horse. I open the letter, read it, and tell my traveling companion, "It seems we're heading to Forebear's Holdout.". Serana simply nods, once again allowing me to lead her to our destination. The ruin is only a short walk away, so I don't regret my mare leaving us. She'll probably become a wolf's dinner or head back to her stable. It doesn't matter to me, we can walk back to the castle. It won't be enjoyable and I'm not looking forward to heading back to the castle at all, but it must be done. If I tried to escape now Serana would kill me, and I've come too far to lose my life that way. My thoughts are cut off when we reach the cave, Serana preparing her magic as I curse in anger. Serana gives me a questioning look and I tell her, "I don't have any weapons.". My fellow sighs and says, "When we get back to the castle I'll have Hestla make you a bow and some arrows, but until then just use your claws.". I sigh and look at my nails, the claws almost like blades. It's the last thing I want to do, but I nod and accept the situation. Then, I turn and enter the cave. That moth priest isn't going to capture himself.

When I step inside I see what appears to be a ruined underground fort inside a large natural cavern divided by a river. Past the fort, I see a large blue-green orb on the platform; this is obviously where I need to go. I rush down the natural stairs, a snarling husky greeting me. A swift kick to the head snaps the hound's neck, the armored dog's body falling to the side. Two more huskies bound up to welcome me, but a few spells from Serana end the pooches' lives. I cross the bridge that spans the river, an armored troll screaming as it charges us. My cowardice smacks me like an angry prostitute, and I scream in fear. I'd turn and flee if I could, but someone pushing me on the back forces me to fight. The troll raises his fists, hurling them down at me. I barely manage to dodge, the creature's fists shattering the ground where I once was. I take my opening and leap onto his side, ripping apart his shoulder. It roars and flings me to the side, my body skittering across the ground. I reach out and begin grabbing on to anything I can. I feel my body leave the earth, the river now below me. My hands shoot out and grab the edge of the earth, my gigantic claws keeping me in place. Now I'm dangling on the edge, the river flowing below me. I hiss and begin trying to scrabble back onto the ground, but my back claws can't get any traction. I hear the ground shake, and a shadow falls over me. I look up and see the troll raising his tremendous fist, a rotten grin splitting its face as it realizes it's about to sentence a vampire to death.

My scream, the troll's roar, and Serana's scream all meld together. I don't realize why Serana's screaming, then see my companion slam into the beast's side. He drops his hands and tries to pull the vampire off him, my elder ripping and tearing his side and shoulder into bits of stringy meat. Finally, the creature turns and tries to flee, but Serana grabs his head and twist. The gigantic body crashes to the floor, the earth shaking. All of this time I've been scrambling to try to get back up, the claws on my feet wearing down. I'm not too concerned about falling until I hear a screech, and look up to see my claws losing their grip. I kick faster than ever, desperate to save my own hide. My claws keep sliding and I close my eyes, unwilling to see my own death play out. Suddenly, I feel two strong hands wrap around my wrists. Serana heaves me back on to safety, arrows raining down around us. I'm shaking in fear on the ground, Serana getting on one knee. The arrows miss us, but each projectile comes a little closer. Serana looks at me and asks, "Are you okay?". I nod, clutching my claws to my chest. My elder nods in response and says, "Come on, we have to keep going. To stay still is death. Can you move?". I'm shaken, but manage to rise to one knee like Serana. In one swift motion the other woman is up, yanking me along with her. We both 'charge' out enemies. Charging is me getting up close to the enemy and slashing when I'm not dodging, Serana hanging back to work spells.

When the battle is over I collapse, panting. A hand on my shoulder causes me to look up, a brief look of concern flickering across Serana's face before she asks, "Can you walk?". I push myself up in answer, my knees threatening to buckle. We make our way up to the sphere, two dead Dawnguard members beside the giant ball of light. I make my way over to them and search the corpses, finding a gigantic stone on one of them. I take it up to the pedestal, shoving the rock into the only opening. The sphere breaks apart, freeing the priest inside. I bound back down to Serana, standing by my traveling companion. The priest blinks at us and mumbles, "I serve my master's will.". He suddenly grows angry as he snarls, "But my master is dead, and his enemies must pay!". He charges us, but a shard of ice to the shoulder stops him. Serana and I walk over to the kneeling priest, and I throw my elder a questioning look. She motions to the man and says, "Use your seduction powers on him.". I nod and quickly use the spell on the man, feeding when Serana instructs me to do so. When the man stands back up he looks at me in aw and says, "By the divines! It's as if my eyes have been opened! I am blinded by the light of your majesty. I... I must obey you. What would you have of me, master?". I can't help smiling as I command him to return to the castle. He runs away as soon as I give him the command. Serana shakes her head, chuckles, and begins to leave. I quickly follow her, for once eager to return to the castle.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: As some of you might have noticed I work on two stories at a time. My other current story is called <em>The Settlement. <em>I have an ending planned out for that story. I have no idea if it'll take two chapters or twenty, but I know how I want everything to work out. So, be prepared for an end to that story to come at any time. Now, I've already begun to toy with four ideas for another story. I'll only start writing after _The Settlement_ is over, so don't expect it to come out before then.**

**My first idea is **Urzoga gra-Shugurz/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. This story will focus on what happens once the Dragonborn is thrown into Cidhna Mine, but gets caught trying to escape after slaying The Forsworn. It'll take place purely in the prison, but the Dragonborn might earn her freedom near the end of the story. Since the Dragonborn is the only prisoner Urzoga is forced to guard a prison with only one criminal, and makes her hatred of the Khajiit known early on. However, circumstances force the two to interact on a daily basis, and only time will tell how the romance manages to blossom.****

****My second idea is **Bralsa Drel/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. This will focus purely on Solstheim, and heavily involve Raven Rock and the politics of Morrowind. This one might be a small challenge, but I think I could pull it off just fine. It'll involve the Dragonborn attempting to help the island, and Bralsa Drel slowly relying on the Dragonborn more and more to the point where the Khajiit can't even leave Raven Rock. It might also involve Bralsa's struggle with her ever-growing dependency on alcohol.******

******My third idea is **Faralda/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. I'm thinking this one will focus on a Dragonborn that's terrible at magic, and maybe even a little bit afraid of it. She'll struggle throughout the entire College of Winterhold quest line, but somehow become the head mage. However, she'll finally decide it's time to do something about her lack of magic. She'll need a tutor, and Faralda is the only one willing to help her out. This will also focus on the hate of magic wielders in Skyrim (especially Winterhold).********

**The final idea is Potema/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. The Dragonborn will lose in the final battle with the wolf queen, and have her throat slit. Without her disturbance the queen is finally able to return to Tamriel, and she has her first bodyguard lying on the floor in front of her throne. This won't be a lovey dovey story, and involves a coup d'état, necrophilia, defilement of graves, and the continual and multiple resurrection of a body at peace. The Khajiit will be little more than a mindless thrall of the wolf queen, and it'll be similar to how the romance happened in _Disgusting _and _Love._  
><strong>

**That's all I have to say. Just tell me what you think, I love hearing from readers and fellow writers.**

**-KhajiitWarriorSam**


	6. Conversations

As we enter the castle I hear uneasy murmuring, but push it aside and keep walking. Serana is right behind me, the vampire still complaining about having to walk all the way back to the castle. I shrug it off and go down to the main hall, Harkon and everyone already gathered. I walk over to my 'leader' and tell him, "I got your priest.". He nods and says, "I noticed.". He motions behind me, and when I turn around I see the priest waiting for me. Harkon suddenly shoves the scroll in my hands and snarls, "Command him to read it.". I nod without thinking and do as he says, walking over to the confused looking man.

I walk over, shove the scroll in his hands, and snarl, "Read.". He nods and takes the item from me, preparing to read it. I retreat to Serana's side, still wary of the rest of the vampires. The priest clears his throat and begins, "I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise.' In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one.".

"The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now... One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood. My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls."

I freeze at the news, terrified. Will Harkon punish me for this? I turn and see the man doesn't look pleased, but he isn't leaping to beat me. Instead, he shakes his head and announces, "This is rather...disappointing news, but we must push on. You heard the man, find the two remaining scrolls!". Everyone once again scatters, and I leap when I feel Serana's fingers brush my arm. I turn to the woman and she whispers, "I think I know where a scroll is.". Before I can react she's pulling me along, outside the castle and somewhere where she deems safe.

She turns to me and says, "I believe my mother has one.". My ears perk and I say, "Great! Where is she?". Her face falls and she says, "My mother and father-". She pauses before saying, "Aren't on good terms. She'd be in hiding by now, somewhere where my father would never find her.". The answer is obvious, but I act nice as I ask, "Could she be somewhere in the castle?". Serana's red eyes light up, and she tells me, "That's brilliant! I know exactly where she would go, there's an abandoned area behind the castle. If we can get through it, then we'll reach the garden where we use to work together.".

Huh, it suddenly occurs to me that Serana actually had and has a life. However, I simply tell the woman, "Okay, let's go.". I've gotten rid of the idea of getting my companion to go away, and Serana doesn't seem to want to leave my side. So, it's no surprise when I walk away she closely follows me. I don't care for vampires, but I want to know a little more about my traveling comrade, so I casually ask, "Are you close to your mother?".

Serana seems surprised by my questioning, but answers, "Sort of. When I was younger we were like the best of friends. We'd do everything together, spend a lot of time in the garden with each other, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell her anything. Then, one day she just shut me out. She'd shoo me out of the garden, always saying she was too busy to spend time with me. After that, it got kind of lonely around here.". She falls silent, but I enjoyed learning a small tidbit of the woman's life. So, I follow up my question by asking, "And your father?". I can feel Serana's tenseness as she response, "No, not really. We've never seen things the same way.".

Before I can ask a third question the woman stops in her tracks, and when I turn to her she inquires, "What about you? Were you ever close to your parents?". The question is sudden, but I go ahead and answer it by saying, "I never knew my parents, I grew up alone.". Serana shifts from foot to foot as she says, "I can understand that, kind of. Growing up the way I did. I know it's not exactly the same, but I can understand.". I nod and move to leave, but Serana stops me by clearing her throat. When I turn back she asks another question, "Why do you flee from battle?".

I flatten my ears and turn away, walking back to our destination. Serana trots beside me, talking as we go. "I don't get why you're walking away, it won't help you. I just want to know, so I might be able to help. Come on, it can't be that bad. I'm making a real effort to know you and understand you, but I can't do that if you push me away. Come on.".

I've had enough of her talking, and flip around to face her as I snarl, "No!". Serana sighs and says, "Tell me.". I once again repeat my answer, but Serana persist. Finally, I crack and snarl, "Fine! But what the oblivion do you care?". Serana considers my question, then shrugs and says, "You don't seem like bad company, and we work well together. We got to know each other on a small personal level back there, and I want to keep developing that bond and eventually come to think of you as an ally.". I glare as I tell her, "Funny, I love when people answer me without emotion and in a scientific manner.".

Serana looks about ready to say something sarcastic, but contains herself and says, "I was being honest. I might have sounded like an ass, but it's true. You woke me up from hundreds of years of sleep, and I want to help you. Your cowardice is your weakness, and I want to help you overcome it. Please, just tell me.". I sigh, allowing the mix of anger and fear to leak from me. Then, I look at the ground and kick a stone as I tell her, "I'm afraid.". Serana steps on the rock I'm kicking and ask, "Or what?".

It sounds extremely stupid, but I answer honestly and tell her, "Death.". Laughter causes me to snap my head up, renewed anger flaring in me. Serana sees my reaction and stops, quickly backtracking. "It's just, you're a vampire. It's harder for us to die. And, you're already technically dead. Why do you fear something like that?".

I don't want to answer that, I want to go away and hide like I always do. But for once I strengthen my backbone and whisper, "I don't want to die. I don't want to end.". Serana's eyes grow confused and she asks, "End? What do you mean?". I swallow down my rising wail of alarm and tell the vampire, "End. I don't want to die, I don't think anything happens when we die. When we die it's just the end, nothing else happens. We go in the ground and rot. I don't want to rot, I want to keep doing what I'm doing. To breathe, run, fight, drink, bet, scream, roar, fuck,_ live._ I don't want to accept death.".

Serana cocks her head and questions, "You don't believe in the gods or daedric princes?". I nod and explain, "I don't see enough evidence. I prayed every single day when I was a child, but my only answer was the wind. Then, I prayed to the daedric princes to give me power, but my prayers fell on deaf ears. If I was ever presented with rock solid evidence that the gods and daedra are real, then I would accept them. But it wouldn't help me accept death, I would go straight to oblivion for my deeds.".

Serana's face has been a stone through all of my speech, and when it's over she says, "I honestly don't agree with your view,". Surprise surprise. "but I accept that it's yours.". Damn, I actually wasn't expecting that. The vampire continues, "I think one day, after all of this is done, I'll sit down with you and have a long talk. I might be able to give you the proof you desire, and help you accept that oblivion isn't that bad. And, if you desire it I can mumble a few prayers for you.".

I've had a hundred or so people assure me they can 'prove' the gods exist, but it's still a somewhat nice thought that she wants to ease my mind of the fears I carry. It won't work, but she at least wants to help me. Or shove religion down my throat. I promptly ignore that thought, Serana isn't the kind of woman to pull that stuff. So, I nod and tell her, "I appreciate you trying to help me, but we should focus on our current mission. And, there's nothing you can do to help my cowardice right now.". I move to leave, but Serana stays still. When I stop moving she says, "There's something I can do to help in the meantime.".

I raise an eyebrow in question, and Serana smiles as she says, "I'll be there. You have an ancient and powerful vampire on your side. Everyone must face their death one day or another, but you won't die today.". I refuse the urge to stay silent and question, "How do you know?". Serana simply answers, "I won't let you.". I've had multiple people tell me that, and it shouldn't mean anything. It's just something people say to get me to do stuff, but for once I believe the person. I believe Serana. Believing anything a vampire says is dangerous, but I can't help it.

Serana hasn't been cruel to me, and that's more than most people do. So, I swallow her words and allow some sense of courage to course through me. I begin walking and tell Serana, "Come on. That was nice, but we need to get going.". She doesn't argue, just begins trotting along beside me. As we walk I can't help wondering why the sudden burst of conversation, but I push it aside. We have more important things to deal with. As if on cue I hear a gargling sound, and look around the newly revealed docks to see a skeleton charging down at us.

Serana's ice spike shatters the walking boneman to pieces, but there are five others to take his place. I reach for my bow, then yell, "GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!". My vulgar curse causes Serana to look at me, and she quickly realizes the situation. She rolls her eyes, begins fighting twice as hard, and tells me, "Use your claws.". I sigh, but charge the nearest skeleton. If I'm going to die, then I might as well do it quickly. Although I see the fire Serana is fighting with, and realize something. I'm not going to die today, no matter how hard I try.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I've made a decision to begin chopping paragraphs into smaller chunks. I enjoy it, and I hope you do also.<strong>


	7. Reflections of Times Past

When the skeletons are taken care of we enter the ruin. As I close the door I tell her, "I really need a bow.". Serana nods in agreement and promises, "As soon as we're in the castle I'll get you one, I swear on my grave.". I throw her a quizzical look and ask, "Was that a joke?". Serana rolls her eyes and says, "Let's just get this over with.". I sheath my claws and tell her, "There's the sarcastic and depressing woman I know.". Serana once again rolls her eyes and I consider making a joke about them rolling right out of her skull, but think better of it and just begin walking down the stairs. The vampire beside me looks around, telling me, "I use to play in here as a child. It's different now, but back then a vampire was all that was needed to scare the rats away. It was actually pretty lonely.".

I stop to temporarily adjust my armor, the pieces of fur offering next to no protection. I make a mental note to ask Serana to get me some more armor, but for now I focus on her comment. I gingerly ask her, "You talk about being lonely a lot, do you still feel that way?". I look up to see the vampire eyeing me as she says, "Not as much.". As I stand she asks me, "What about you?". My ears perk as I question, "Do you mean am I lonely?". When she nods I consider the question, and answer as honestly as I can, "I've never really had a friend, but I think I'm getting one.". Then, I begin walking about. Serana trots right beside me, but keeps questioning me, "There's really nobody else in your life? Come on, there has to be. A strapping young man or faithful companion.". I chew my lip and tell her, "I had a pet cat once. He got hit by a carriage.". Serana doesn't look like she knows what to say.

However, her look tells me she doesn't believe me, and that she thinks their has to be more than a cat. I decide to humor her and reveal, "There's a vixen in Whiterun named Ysolda with hair the color of flames, and I use to dream about marrying her and finally settling down.". Serana looks pleased that I've opened up and asks, "Why didn't you? Did she like you?". The next part is embarrassing to tell, but I go ahead and say, "She wanted to become a merchant, and I decided to help her. She needed a mammoth tusk, and I used all of my money to buy her one. When I went to give it to her she was talking to this really jerky bard, and he despised me for my cowardice. I gave her the tusk and she gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I wink I didn't know how to interpret. But the bard sure seemed to know what a wink meant, and he got pissed.".

"He asked Ysolda why she was hanging out with a craven, and dangled me off the ground to remind me I weigh about as much as a child. She told him to put me down, and he did. Right into the garbage where he said I belonged. Ysolda ended up helping me from the gunk, took me back to her house to help me clean up, and apologized for how the bard acted.". Serana interrupts by saying, "Then you told her you liked her, right?". I shake my head and whisper, "No.". I strengthen my voice as I explain, "She told me to meet her tomorrow and she would give me the rest of my reward for helping her. I'm not a scholar, but I knew what was going on. I spent the next day trimming my fur, making my claws manageable, and even took a bath and used some powdery stuff on my teeth. It was suppose to make them clean and make my breath smell better, but I'm not sure if it did.".

"Then, I chopped some wood for some quick money, and bought Ysolda the best piece of jewelry I could find, some flowers that would brighten any home, and a wine older than myself. Finally, I went to Ysolda's house to finally meet her. The bard jumped me in an ally, beat the shit out of me, stole my gifts, and told me he's gut me like a fish if he saw me near Ysolda. Then, he went to her house to court her. I tried reporting the incident to the guards, but they didn't believe me. One of them just kind of winked and said he knew what kind of sex Khajiits were into. Apparently, every female Khajiit's dream is have sex rough enough to give her a black eye. When Ysolda saw me she asked what happened to me, but the bard was with her and I had to tell her I got in a bar fight.".

"Ysolda tried to keep rescheduling her reward, but I was too much of a craven to meet her. Seems I'm even a coward when it comes to love. After that, I just pushed thoughts of romance out of my mind. No woman deserves to get stuck with me.". I feel a hand touch my arm, and look up to see Serana's red eyes looking at me. She shakes her head and tells me, "It's painfully clear you're a craven, but some women would be lucky to get you.". I give her an exasperated look and ask what I've asked so many times before, "Why?". Serana looks taken aback, but easily answers, "You're smart, smart enough to realize when situations are too dangerous to handle. You have enough courage to force yourself to do things you're afraid of, which takes extreme self-control. And, you're not too shabby looking. I know looks shouldn't matter, but in this world an attractive body isn't bad to have.".

If I had blood I would be blushing, and I can't stop myself from looking at the ground. Serana raises my chin to meet her eyes again and tells me, "Come on, don't be like that. Look at the good in things. When this scrolls situation is handled I'll show you proof of the gods, and your cowardice will be washed away. Then, we'll go to Whiterun and beat the shit out of that bard. After he loses his silver tongue and manly cock, Ysolda will fall into your arms. After all this time, you'll finally get your 'reward'.". I ask her, "You really think so?". She nods and tells me, "I know so. Now come on, we have a scroll to get.". I agree, we've spent far too much time talking. The conversation was nice and made me feel closer to the woman, but we still have a job to do. As we walk I think about what we talked about. Do I even desire Ysolda? Yes, but not for the reasons I should. I want a wife to grow old with me, and one who would treat me like an equal.

Ysolda was pretty and made a brief pass at me, so I decided I wanted her. But marrying her would be unfair to both of us, and we might not even like each other. Overall, I guess I've decided that I shouldn't pursue her. No real loss, Ysolda is still a good woman who would help me if I needed it. However, I leave those thoughts to myself. Serana's given me a new look on my romantic life, and a small amount of courage. All of my thoughts are cut off by a growl as we leave the stairs, four death hounds charging. I stand back and prepare to watch Serana work. She takes down three hounds, but one of them reaches her. It leaps at her, forcing her to the ground. Serana screams, barely able to hold back the beast's snapping jaws that are aimed for her throat.

Serana keeps screaming, trying to force the hound away from her. I curse, panicking and trying to thick of what to do. Finally, I kick the dog as hard as I can. It's jaws instantly turn to me, then the creature bounds away from Serana. I once again try to kick it, but the monster simply grabs my leg in its jaws. The hound shakes its head as hard as it can, bringing me to the ground as I frantically swing my arms. Finally, my claws rake across the monster's face. It yelps, but only bites down harder and shakes faster. By now Serana has gotten to her feet, and grabs the beast by the collar. She yanks it off of me, twisting the dog's head until it _snaps. _I scuttle away, clutching my leg. My vampire companion is at my side in an instant, gently trying to peel away my hands. I hiss and keep holding on, fear practically radiating off of me. Serana shushes me and uses one hand to soothingly touch my shoulder, her other hand gently insisting I move my hands away from my wound.

It takes a minute or so of calming gestures and shushes, but I finally relent and remove my fingers. The wound is deep, my off-white bone gleaming in the torchlight. My muscles are shredded, stringy bits of meat barely clinging to my body. A huge chunk of my skin and pelt is hanging from the dead hound's mouth, the remaining skin just dangling down into the wound. My pelt around the area is soaked in blood, the black tarry substance clumping up in my golden fur. Serana hisses in empathy, gently bringing her hand down to feel the wound. She adjust my muscles a little, briefly attempts to remove the blood, and taps the bone a little. Finally, she tells me, "I'll have to use a powerful healing spell. It'll fix your wound, but you might feel a little funky for a while. That okay with you?". I easily nod, wanting this wound to heal.

Serana rubs her hands together, places them on my bone and muscles, and makes her hands light up with a bright spell. I shove my fist in my mouth and bite down, the fangs less painful than the spell. I watch as my muscles slowly cover up the bone, a thin layer of skin hiding the red meat from sight. Serana pulls her hands away, panting. Without thinking I yank her to me, my hug the only way I can think of showing gratitude. My companion stiffens at the touch, but after a few seconds awkwardly pats my back. Then, she pulls away and says, "We need to get you up and walking, it'll help the new muscles become tougher.". I nod and say, "And get the scroll.". Serana repeats, "And get the scroll.". She rises and offers me her hand, yanking me up.

Almost instantly I'm falling forward, Serana's arms the only things that keep me from breaking my nose. She throws one of my arms over her shoulder, wrapping her own arm around my side. She takes one step forward, waiting for me to do the same. I follow her lead, my injured leg still slowing me down. If it wasn't for me Serana could already be halfway to the garden, and I tell her that. She shrugs it off and tells me, "It wouldn't make sense to leave you behind. We're in this together, and if you weren't there it would be a hollow victory. Now I don't want to hear any more talk of leaving you behind. We're both going to get the scroll. Understand?". I nod, taking one more step. Serana and I might not know each other well, but it's clear to me that the vampire won't be leaving me to die any time soon. I just can't decide if that's a good or bad thing.


	8. Crests

We walk for a few feet before our next enemy appears, a vampire with a crazed look in her eyes. Serana easily handles her, but not before she's forced to sit me down on the ground. In that time the crazed woman is able to get a few hits in, and Serana's cape is torn to shreds. I apologize as Serana heaves me back up, our arms once again tying us to one another. My companion simply shrugs off my apology and states, "You didn't do anything.". Then, we once again begin hobbling along. Serana told me to stop talking about how I'm holding her back, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it. When we reach a wooden bridge that's drawn up, Serana is forced to sit me down on the ground, find the lever that lowers the bridge, and return to me as quickly as she can.

All the while she calls to me, and expects me to answer her shout. A primitive way of making sure we're okay, but it works. Serana goes to heave me up, but freezes when I hiss in pain. My vampire companion shoots me a look and I quickly explain, "It's absolutely nothing.". Serana's eyes narrow and I admit, "Muscle cramp.". Then, I motion for her to once again help me up. Serana pulls back, examines my leg, and then does something completely unexpected. She shoves her arms under me, gathers her legs under her, and heaves me into the air. I can't weigh much, but Serana still grunts from the effort.

I hiss and begin fighting the stronger woman, but I might as well try fighting a mountain. Serana keeps walking, completely uncaring that I'm trying to escape from her. We reach a stone square in the middle of a room, the abyss below full of spikes. Four bridges are around the room, but one of them is drawn up. Excluding the one we came on, there are only two bridges left. Serana looks at both of them, then carefully places me on the ground. She says, "Stay.". I bite back my sarcastic remark and watch her walk away, her shredded cape swinging behind her. I sigh and lie down on my back, fiddling with my fingers as I hear Serana fighting yet another battle. It takes a few minutes, but I hear the drawbridge slowly lower.

Then, Serana returns and heaves me up. She looks a little beaten, but she's otherwise okay. As she walks I unhappily mumble, "I'm not a child.". She roughly shakes me a little and tells me, "I'm aware of your age, but being old doesn't make you any less susceptible to injury. I'm simply helping you, and there's nothing wrong with accepting help. Especially from those who you consider friends.". My head snaps up in an instant, my eyes examining Serana's face to make sure she isn't joking. When I'm assured she's serious I hesitantly ask, "Friends?". Serana keeps walking, but her eyes briefly flicker down to meet mine.

Then, her eyes flicker back up and she grumbles, "Friends.". A grin splits my face and I relax, allowing my newly made friend to carry me. I'm not certain how I convinced Serana to foolishly become my friend, but I'm not about to question it. So, I simply close my eyes, enjoy the swaying motion of my companion's walk, and bask in the feeling of having a friend. Suddenly, Serana snorts and questions me, "Are you purring?". My eyes flash open and I stop the vibration in my chest, a subconscious action usually done in moments of extreme content.

I cough and tell her, "Sorry, that usually doesn't happen.". Serana lets out a small chuckle and says, "I didn't know Khajiit actually purr. I always thought that was a myth.". I open my mouth to say something, then freeze when Serana gently places me down to open a door. Once she picks me back up I tell her, "Only the smaller breeds can purr. The larger ones can chuff, but can't purr.". The vampire shakes her head and tells me, "You people are something else.". I'm not sure what I'm going to say in response, but I don't have to opportunity to as Serana steps outside, the dim light not enough to harm us. Serana freezes and whispers, "Oh no.". I manage to twist in her arms, awkwardly looking around. It's easy to tell why my companion is upset, this place is a mess.

The garden is overgrown, everything is a wreck, and the place just has a general feel of being disgusting. Serana slowly walks around, her arms never wavering in holding me. She examines each area, then walks me over to the sundial. As she places me down I tell her, "My leg will never get stronger if you don't let me walk around.". Serana eyes my wound, then once again picks me up and places me down. But this time she places me on my feet, putting my hand on the sundial. She motions along the length of it and explains, "Walk up and down it, but be careful. I used a lot of my magic healing you.". I nod in gratitude and do as she says, the vampire looking everywhere. Suddenly, she whistles and picks something up, then reveals a half moon crest to me.

I whistle back and ask, "What?". Serana rushes over, examines the gigantic sundial, and puts the crest in its place. Serana looks up at me, her red eyes glowing and fangs gleaming as she smiles. It occurs to me what she's doing and I smile back, glad that we now know what to do. However, I'm of no help to my friend. She rushes around the entire area and collects all the crest, but I can't do anything but walk up and down the length of the sundial. My leg feels a little bit stronger, but it's still buckling when I threaten to put my entire weight on it. I might be able to walk a little, but definitely not fight.

Then, Serana returns with all of the crest. When she snaps the last one in place the ground around me shifts, and I quickly grasp on to the sundial as the stone falls away to reveal stairs. I dangle in the air, kicking my legs and trying to find a solid grip. Serana is apologizing profusely, and manages to grab my legs. She yanks me over to solid ground, catching me in her arms. I blink and begin fighting to be put down, and for once the vampire listens to me. However, she once again locks her arm with mine. I guess that's okay, at least I'm kind of walking again. Serana guides me to the stairs, both of us awkwardly hobbling down them.

When we reach the door at the bottom Serana opens it, carefully guiding me through it. As we walk I tell her, "Seems like your mother had something to hide.". Serana nods and agrees, "I'm not certain what she was trying to keep a secret, but it must have been important. If we're lucky it'll be the scroll. Or it might just be some junk she wanted to hide from my father. Let's hope for the first one.". I simply nod my agreement, my companion pulling a chain to allow us to the next area. We only walk for a little while before our next enemies attack, five skeletons all charging in unison. Serana screeches and all but shoves me to the ground, protectively standing over me to shield me from the onslaught of attackers. All I can do during the fight is cower, silently hoping Serana doesn't somehow manage to lose.

The vampire doesn't fail me, easily taking care of all of her opponents. When that's taken care of, she helps me back up and we continue our walk. As we hobble along I tell her, "I want to fight. I _need_ to fight, you can't handle fighting all of our battles.". Serana looks ready to disagree, but simply nods and says, "Okay, but stay in the back. Your weapon is broken and I don't trust that your claws can handle everything.". I want to argue, but I simply allow the matter to die. We don't have much time to talk as we make our way through the ruins, gargoyles and skeletons almost always coming from somewhere to attack.

Finally, we reach what looks like the end of the castle. A gigantic gargoyle sits in front of a fireplace, a disturbing smile splitting his stone face. I push off Serana and stand on shaking legs, waving away her hand that comes to help me. We both walk towards the stone creature, the unmoving granite gleaming in the flickering torchlight. A limp in my leg is slowing me down, but I manage to keep up a decent pace. When we reach the fireplace Serana reaches out, yanking on a candle by the opening. I prepare myself to fight the stone monster, but he simply sits still with a huge smirk plastered on his face. I shrug and walk through the door, but Serana quickly stops me. She points at something, rushes over to it, and returns with vampire armor worthy of royalty.

She tosses the clothing at me, my arms barely able to come up in time to catch it. I offer her a questioning look, and she motions at my fur armor and explains, "Change.". I feel like an idiot as my ears flatten against my skull and I grumble, "Thanks.". I place the armor on the ground, shed my fur armor, and put on the vampire royal armor. It's a little baggy, but it'll do. It's extremely hard to find armor that fits my body, but I've worn armor worse than this. However, I can't get past the fact that the upper parts of my breast are revealed. I turn to Serana and ask, "How is this armor? All someone would have to do is aim for my chest.". She chuckles and says, "It's better than your fur armor, and I'll have a smith add to it later. But it'll have to do for now.".

I nod, appeased for now. Then, we both begin continuing our walk. As we continue our journey I question, "Do you think we'll actually meet your mother?". My vampire companion shrugs and says, "Maybe we will, maybe we won't.". I allow a few moments of silence to stretch between us, then ask, "Do you want us to meet your mother?". Serana keeps walking, but I can see a certain amount of tenseness enter her shoulders as she says, "I truly don't know. I suppose that's a question I can only answer later. Wait until we find out if we meet her of not, then I can answer your question.". I accept her answer without doing anything, completely understanding her reaction. Then, we find a door and enter the place we came for. Looks like this trip isn't going to be a bust. Yet.

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><p><strong>Note: My other story <em>The Settlement <em>is getting closer and closer to an end, so I'm once again focusing on my next story. I'm currently typing up a Urzoga gra-Shugurz/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. I might even have a chapter out before _The Settlement _truly and fully ends. However, I've also noticed a lack of Urzoga's name in the list of character names. This might be a problem later on, but for now I'm not focusing on that. I suppose when I finally get the story out I'll just have the Dragonborn tag. That's about it, enjoy further chapters.**


	9. Entrance

The laboratory is gigantic and dark, a few candles somehow already flickering and casting long shadows. Serana walks around the room, slowly turning in a circle to examine everything. I hobble after her, my leg still shaky. I look around, but find the surroundings somewhat depressing. It would be hard for me to spend all day in here, let along accomplish any work in here. My companion whistles in awe and says, "I didn't know she had this.". I hadn't expected her to, so it's not that surprising. I clear my throat and ask, "Do you have any idea what to do from here on?".

The older vampire shrugs and tells me, "Look around, maybe she left something around here.". I nod and begin searching, but can't find anything after a while of looking. I sigh, then notice a bookshelf pushed back in the corner. I shrug and walk over to it, sit down on the ground beside the shelves, and pick a book at random. I need to start somewhere, and the bottom shelf seems like a good enough place to begin. While I read Serana walks around, searching everywhere and anywhere. I'm reading the book, but not really absorbing the words. My eyes occasionally blur, and I'm forced to blink to clear away the haze. After hours of endless reading, I stand and crack my back. This is getting nowhere, it's time to give up. Then, I notice a small red book. I reach out, grab it, and flip it open.

**27th Last Seed**

_Harkon's shortsightedness is becoming a serious problem. I've warned him time and time again that his foolish prophecy would cast far too much light on our people and yet he refuses to so much as listen to a word I say. I've become less a wife and more of an annoyance in his eyes. Devoting attention to my work is the only solace I can find while enduring his ridiculous crusade._

**28th Last Seed**

_I've had a breakthrough today. I was able to attune the portal vessel to the Soul Cairn properly by using a small sample of ingredients. Although the portal opened only for a few seconds, I'm confident that with the proper formula, it can be sustained indefinitely. I feel like I'm missing a key ingredient, something of sufficient potency that can resist the forces trying to prevent my intrusion. Communing with the Ideal Masters has proved worthless. They speak in riddles and offer no assistance whether I ensure them a steady supply of souls or not. If I'm to escape Harkon's clutches, I need to keep the portal open long enough to carry me away from here... forever if need be._

**3rd Hearthfire**

_I've done it! After wasting thousands of gold coins on components, I've discovered how to sustain the portal. I'm listing the components below without the proper amounts for my own protection. As a secondary precaution, I am combining my own blood into the formula which should prevent anyone from being able to duplicate it and following me into the Soul Cairn._

_The formula consists of:_

_Finely ground bone meal_

_Purified void salt_

_Soul gem shards_

_Using the proper measurements, place the above in the silver-lined portal vessel and add blood as a reactive agent._

_I will make my way into the Soul Cairn tomorrow after I gather my things and prepare for a potentially lengthy exile. More importantly, I must enact my plans with Serana, and get her to Dimhollow Crypt as soon as possible._

I instantly rub rub my weary eyes, and hurry over to Serana. The woman is still desperately searching, a look of hopelessness seeming to settle over her face. However, that look of hopelessness is erased from her face the second she sees the book. She yanks the little red journal from my hand, hungrily flipping through the pages as she dissects every page with her eyes. Finally, she reaches the end of her mother's writing and closes the book. In an instant she tells me, "We need to find finely ground bone meal, purified void salt, and soul gem shards.". I bite back my sarcastic comment and hobble away, my leg stiff after hours of sitting and reading. I find the items we require, and quickly go and hand them to Serana. T

he woman thanks me, then begins to carry the things up to the silver bowl near the gigantic stone circle I assume her mother made. Once the things are in Serana curses and says, "We'll need some of her blood to open the portal, and we're obviously lacking that.". I curse, but suddenly an idea comes to me. I clear my throat to get her attention and awkwardly tell her, "You're her daughter, would the portal work if we used some of your blood?". Serana's eyes light up and she whispers, "That's brilliant.". She bites her wrist, pouring her tarry blood into the bowl. The circle lights up, a stone staircase slowly rising. Serana gasps and says, "She did it! She created a portal to the Soul Cairn!". She turns to me and asks, "Are you ready?". I nod, but ask, "What are you going to do if we find your mother?". She frowns and says, "I don't know.". I nod in understanding, then begin to descend the staircase. Into the Soul Cairn.

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><p><strong>Serana POV:<strong>

I blink as I enter the Soul Cairn, the strange lights temporarily blinding me. My companion is already at the bottom of the staircase, looking up at the sky and slowly walking in a circle. I shake my head at the action, a small flicker of endearment lighting my heart. The woman is a undead creature of the night, but there are still moments where she acts like an innocent child. I clear my throat and the woman turns to me, a questioning look on her face. I motion at the path ahead of us, and the Khajiit looks embarrassed as she hurries along it. As we go the woman asks, "What is this place?". I tell her, "It's a plain of Oblivion, haunted by lost souls.". The second I told her that, I knew I shouldn't have said it. The woman's tail slowly begins fluffing out, and I can practically feel the fear radiating off of her. To take her mind off of it I ask her, "What are you going to do once all of this is over?".

The question works to take her mind off the terrifying surroundings, and I get to know a little more about my newly dubbed friend. The Khajiit slowly relaxes as she answers, "I think I'll go visit High Hrothgar, I have some unfinished business I never attended to. But I might just choose to ignore it, and try my hand at adventuring again.". I instantly counter, "Again?". The woman chuckles and explains, "I tried to go adventuring once, and it didn't end well. I was afraid of my own shadow, killing people made me physically ill, and I was never able to carry enough treasure to make the trips worth it. The most successful adventure I ever went on only made me fifty gold. But that might not be a good idea, I always blew my gold on drinks and whores.". I can't imagine the Khajiit buying a prostitute for the night, and I tell her that. The woman nods and says, "I know it's hard to imagine, but even cravens long for the touch of other humans. However, the whores usually rejected me. And, the ones that accepted me charged me a fortune.".

She furrows her brow as she continues, "Only three whores ever serviced me, and only one of them was worth it. The other two mocked certain aspects of my body, and were too soft and fragile in their job.". I chuckle and ask, "Soft?". The woman simply nods, telling me, "Too soft, I left the experience completely unmarked.". I shake my head in disbelief, but stop when a low sound catches my attention. A few skeletons are desperately attempting to rise from the ground, waving their arms and preparing to attack us. I take them out with a few spells, but I can't help noticing the Khajiit is shaking. I put my hand on her back to reassure her, and tell her, "Come on, let's keep going. We're almost there.". She nods and allows me to guide her, the woman's fur beginning to stick up.

I pat her back, trying to give her some courage. It's clear to me that she's still a coward, but I need her to be brave. So, I decide to give her a few words of inspiration. I clear my throat and tell her, "I learned long ago that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.". She swallows and tells me, "I don't think I'm conquering my fear any time soon.". I once again pat her on the back and tell her, "I'm right here, don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen.". I point at the gigantic castle like structure that's risen above us and tell her, "Look, we're already here.". The woman nods, but walks a little closer to me. I allow it.

We reach the decrepit steps, and slowly walk up them. I see her from a distance, her back turned to us as she works. My mother, Valerica. I feel my friend tense, and I know if she was alive her pathetic mortal heart would be thrashing against her ribs. But she's dead, and I reach out and twine my arm with hers. Now she can't flee, and she might be able to grow a little backbone.

It seems to work the tiniest bit, my companion manages to shove her fur down and walk with the smallest amount of dignity. My mother hears us coming and turns around, standing up straighter. When she spots us she yells, "Serana!". She rushes to meet us and I follow her lead, an invisible barrier stopping us from meeting. I reach out and place my hand against the unseen wall, my mother doing the same. My traveling companion hangs back, awkwardly wringing her hands. My mother looks between the two of us and snarls, "What are you doing here?!". I sigh and explain, "We have a lot to talk about.".

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><p><strong>Note: My other story is gonna wrap up in two or three chapters, so I'm posting my new story called <em>Cidhna Mine.<em> It's only under the Dragonborn tag, since Urzoga doesn't have her own.**


	10. The First Keeper

My mother doesn't give me a chance to speak, snarling, "You shouldn't be here!". I hold back my sigh and tell her, "I know, but we need to know where an elder scroll is.". The woman's eyes flash and she tells me, "What do you need to find the scroll for?". My companion is slowly slinking forward, but still attempting to stay away from my mother's gaze. I can't say I blame her. However, that doesn't stop my mother from seeing her. The woman hisses and demands, "Who is this?!". My friend freezes and I motion for her to come and stand beside me, aware that sending her away would only make everything worse. When the Khajiit is at my side my mother eyes her and questions, "Who is this?".

I save my friend from answering by telling my mother, "A friend, now what about the scroll?". My mother completely ignores me, turning to the cowering Khajiit. She sneers as she says, "So, Harkon allowed a sniveling craven to join his ranks. Pathetic. Now, why is a half bred vampire traveling with my daughter?". I once again go to save the woman from answering, but she does before I can say anything. "I want to keep Serana safe.". My mouth was open to say something, but I quickly _snap _it shut. Mostly out of surprise, but a little out of shock. She came with me to make sure I'm safe? I'm a little insulted, I can take care of myself and be fine. However, I'm also a tiny bit flattered. Her answer wasn't 'to find the scroll' or 'to defeat Harkon', it was to make sure I didn't end up getting beheaded or burned to death. It's a nice thought.

My mother seems to disagree because she simply snorts and says, "I'm certain. Now, what do you plan on doing with the scroll?". The Khajiit doesn't even bother to hesitate, answering, "I plan on defeating Harkon.". My mother's laugh causes the Khajiit's tail to puff up, but she doesn't back away. Progress. Now, my mother tells her, "If you think you can defeat Harkon, then you're a bigger fool than I took you for.". I expect the Khajiit to cower and back away, but instead her ears flatten in anger and she demands, "Do you know where the scroll is or not?". My mother grins and answers, "I do, but I'm not going to just give it to you.". My companion sighs and questions, "Why is that?".

My mother begins to pace like a caged tiger as she says, "I hid the scroll away to protect Serana, and I don't expect you to understand that.". My companion takes a step forward, her chest almost pressing against the invisible barrier as she growls, "Yes, locking her away sure kept her safe. I plan on taking permanent care of the problem, and freeing Serana of Harkon. If you don't want to help, fine. But at the very least help your own daughter.". Valerica's grin disappears and she snarls, "Insolent, disgusting, filthy Khajiit! I should-". I have to stop this, they'll be here all day snarling threats at one another. I find my voice and roar, "Enough!". They both turn to look at me, very different expressions on their faces. My mother looks at me with anger and exasperation, like I'm a small child that's misbehaved in front of company. However, the Khajiit gives me an apologetic and remorseful looks, as if she were a dog that got caught pissing on the furniture.

I sigh and tell them, "We need the scroll. Period. Now, are you going to give it to us?". My mother glares at me, but relents and tells me, "Very well, but you need to take down this barrier first.". I nod and question her, "How do we do that?". The woman simply tells me, "There are three Boneyard Keepers scattered throughout the land. Find them and slay them, then this barrier will be dissolved. Be warned, a dragon named Durnehviir patrols the land, and might descend on you at any moment.". I can practically feel the Khajiit's fear, and I know I need to get her out of here. So, I nod and tell my mother, "Fine, we'll go.". She looks like she wants to say something else, but I don't give her the chance. I grab my friend and leave, my mother forced to stay behind due to the barrier between us.

As we walk my companion asks, "Where are the keepers?". I shrug and tell her, "We'll just wander around and find them. Eventually.". She nods in agreement. I take this chance to ask her, "So, you came here to make sure I'm safe?". I can tell if she was alive she would be blushing. She coughs and explains, "I'm still a gigantic coward, although I'm getting a little better now that I know there's an Oblivion.". Crap, I didn't even think about the fact that the Soul Cairn can be used to verify the gods existence. The Khajiit continues by saying, "If it wasn't for you, I would have run away a long time ago. Probably to Elsweyr or The Summerset Isles. But I can't just leave you, I want to make sure you get through this okay.". I can't help asking, "What about after? Are you still going to flee?".

The Khajiit keeps walking, but I can see a look of contemplation coming over her face. Finally, she tells me, "I don't think I'll be fleeing Skyrim.". I follow up by asking, "Are you going to try to marry Ysolda?". The woman lets out a small, sad chuckle and tells me, "I don't think so, but I still want to kick that bard's ass. No, I think my infatuation with Ysolda has passed, but I think there's still some sort of romance going on in my heart.". Is she talking about me? Do I want her to talk about me? Damn, why can't this woman just be straightforward? She is with everything else, but she suddenly decides to be subtle and behind the bush when she starts talking about romance. But, I still don't know if I want her talking about me.

I try to find some emotion in my heart, and after a few moments I find it. I like the woman, and it's in a way I've never felt before. However, I've never had a friend or romantic partner. I can't differentiate the two, but I know I would like both. But which one would I like the Khajiit to be? I truly don't know, and right now isn't the time to sort that out. So, I simply allow the question to die for the moment. Suddenly, the Khajiit whistles to get my attention. She points off into the distance, and I follow her finger. I'm not certain what the gigantic tower has to do with anything, and I question the Khajiit on it. She shrugs and answers, "If I was a keeper I would be up there.". I honestly don't know where a keeper would even be in this wasteland, so right now the tower seems like a good enough place to check. I draw my spells and tell the woman, "Follow me.". She nods as I begin walking away, happily trailing behind me.

We reach the base of the tower and meet five skeletons, but those are easily defeated. I expect to take care of most of them, but the Khajiit surprises me and takes down four of the monsters. Seems this trip to Oblivion is doing her some good, she's gotten a little bit of backbone. It might not be much (her fur is still standing on end), but it's enough. It suddenly occurs to me that the woman has been surviving in Skyrim, all the while considering herself a craven. I wonder how she does it. If you aren't brave or strong, then Skyrim is a horrible place to live. She must be secretly clever or fast or maybe even seductive when she wants to be because there's no way she would survive more than a month if she wasn't. As if reading my mind, the woman turns and smiles at me due to her accomplishment of fighting. Her crooked teeth, scrunched pink nose, and gigantic ears remind me of a kitten I once saw, the tiny cat too small to feed to the death hounds.

Somehow I don't think it was her seductive charms, the woman isn't bursting with feminine charms. I'm not denying the average amount of attractiveness she has, but her looks wouldn't make brigands release her from their clutches. Maybe she's clever. As if to prove me wrong the woman takes a step, slips on a skeleton's bone, and falls flat on her face. She chuckles and stands back up, rubbing her face. Then, she jogs away. I follow her and realize where she's going, a glowing purple portal. When she reaches it she stops, turning back to me. When I reach her I ask, "You think we should step on it?". She nods and explains, "It'll take us somewhere, and it might be where we want to go.". That's poor logic, but I shrug and accept it. The Khajiit smiles her gratitude and leaps onto the portal, disappearing in a second. I sigh, but follow her.

Black and purple energy wraps around me, a crackling filling my ear. Suddenly, the energy dissolves and I find myself standing on top of the tower. Damn, the Khajiit was right. I step away from the edge and notice the sound of fighting. I begin jogging towards the noises, hurdling up the stairs. A skeleton blocks my path, hissing his discontent. A spike of ice stops the argument, and I resume my jog towards the fighting. Finally, I arrive at the main battle. A keeper is raising his gigantic hammer, slowly bringing it down on my companion. She easily dodges the blow, rushing around the monster. The bodies of a few skeletons litter the ground, casualties from the battle. I activate my magic and fire a spike of ice at the monster, the frozen water sinking into the creature's side. It roars and turns to me, its hammer once again rising. I easily dodge the hammer, but not its foot. I scream as I roll along the ground, and feel my side meet thin air.

My scream becomes louder as I begin to fall, shoving my hands away from my body. My left hand brushes the side of the tower, but the right manages to scrape along the roof. My fingers curl, the joints popping as the rest of my body fights to keep flying. But my tendons and muscles are strong, and my fingers win the fight. Now, I'm dangling from the tower by the tips of my fingers, and only five of them. I try to bring my other hand up, but the motion causes me to slide a little. I freeze, and look down. I scream at the sight, the grey ground appears to be thousands of feet below me and the Khajiit is still fighting the keeper. I can't see them, but I can hear the noises. I remain like that, simply dangling and listening. Then, I hear the keeper roar louder than ever before. A loud scream reaches my ears, followed by a suspicious _crunch._ I wait. Nothing. I keep waiting, waiting for the Khajiit to whistle and realize that I'm about to die. Nothing. Just a prolonged silence, and the sound of a light breeze beginning to blow on my side. Fuck.


	11. One Step Too Slow

The wind picks up, insistently pulling at my cape. I tighten my fingers a little, the joints creaking as they try to keep me from plummeting to my sloppy end. I hear footsteps coming my way, and they're way too heavy to be my friend's footsteps. A gigantic shadow falls over me, and I look up to see the keeper towering over me. He raises his tremendous hammer over his head, a deep chuckle seeming to resonate from his chest. I scream, and see the hammer come down. A golden blur hits the hammer, the weapon harmlessly flying over my head and plummeting to the ground far below.

The Khajiit scrabbles at the edge of the building, barley able to avoid my faith or something worse. When she's regained her footing she's on all fours, panting. How the woman is still moving I'll never know, her rib cage sunken in and now concave. Her breathing is ragged, her shattered bones probably stabbing her insides. She doesn't need to breathe, but it still hurts to have bone shards in your guts. The woman manages to push herself up, screaming in pain as her spine curls and she's forced onto her back. Her breathing is even more rapid, her limbs scratching at the ground like she's a bug that's been stepped on and lived. The keeper turns from me, slowly stomping over to the Khajiit. He must think the same as me because he raises his humongous foot, hovering it over my friend.

Her scratching increases, her head falling to the side on her seemingly boneless neck. The keeper seems to cock his head, his deep laugh once again coming from him. He slowly brings his foot down, the woman still scrabbling to get away. A hear a _crunch _of bone as his foot slowly compresses the Khajiit, the keeper seeming to wish to prolong the woman's death. Maybe somewhere in his twisted mind he finds pleasure in this, or maybe he just wants to get back at the woman for making him loose his weapon. I begin kicking the air, attempting the find footing on the side of the building.

My fingers begin slipping, and I take the risk of bringing my other hand up. My first hand slips, but my other hand is there to save me. It's only a few fingers, but it's still enough to hold me. I bring my original hand up, six fingers now keeping me from plummeting to the ground below. I kick stronger and faster than ever, slowly moving a little higher. I manage to get two more fingers into the mix, eight fingers now saving me. However, fingers aren't saving my friend. Her body is still _crunching_, her abdomen slowly flattening like it's preparing to burst. Her head has stopped moving, and the keeper removes his foot. Then, he kicks my friend as hard as he can. He's thrown her to the side, something _snapping _as she hits the stone column in the middle of the tower. He chuckles as he once again walks towards her.

One more kick, and a loud _bleagh_ erupts from my friend. Finally, I find footing. The keeper doesn't even know what hits him, and I easily scale his back. I begin tearing at his face, my nails shredding whatever this monster is made of. He begins stomping around in rage, swinging his arms and roaring. His hands come close to whacking me into Oblivion, but I somehow manage to hang on. However, I suddenly notice the monster is backing up towards the edge. I smile and position myself _just _right, so I can leap from him when he goes falling to his doom.

And, for once everything works out. The beast's heel goes over the edge, I leap from his shoulder, and he tumbles to his doom. I smile at the sight of the shrinking creature disappearing into the smog, then hear a groan that reminds me who saved me from being smashed to my demise. I turn and rush to the lumpy form of my companion, awkward protrusions in her pelt telling me where her shattered and broken bones are trying to break free of her body. As I approach her I slow down, afraid. I don't wish for this woman to die, and I certainly don't wish to _watch_ her die. However, a pathetic whimpering sound makes me once again run to her side. I drop to my knees when I reach her, gently turning the woman over in my arms. Her head once again rolls, a broken neck no longer supporting her cranium.

However, there doesn't appear to be any damage to her spinal cord, her flailing and ragged breathing tells me that. And, that's all that truly matters, as long as she can live a full life after this. I reach out and wave my finger back and forth in front of her face. Her eyes don't follow the digit, but she snarls, "_Stop_.". Well, at least she has enough strength, energy, and the ability to tell me not to do something. Then, I begin to examine her body. Shattered is the only word that comes to mind. I move her arms and legs to see where they're broken, the woman too destroyed to cry out in pain.

I take in a deep breath, and smell the rancid stench of vampire blood. I examine her and see no open wounds, so it's internal. Damn. I keep looking at her, but it's too much to take in. I begin casting every single healing spell I know, but it's not near enough. All I can do is clot her wounds inside her body, stopping a little bit of the bleeding. I've used so much magic fighting, so that's the best I can do. The woman's eyes are rolling about, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. I look around and tell her, "Don't panic, I'll get my mother. She'll know what to do.". I feel like a child, running to my mom when I don't know how to handle something. But my mother will know what to do. Probably. At least, I pray she does. If not, then I've led the Khajiit to her death.

I move to go, but the Khajiit manages to gather the strength to grasp onto my arm. I look down into her panicked eyes, the woman whispering, "Serana. Please. Don't go.". I suddenly remember the woman's fear of death, and realize how terrifying this must be for her. I take her hand away from my arm, allowing it to wrap around my own. I promise her, "I'll be back. I just need to kill the remaining keepers, then I'll get my mother to come out here. Well, I'll probably have to move you to her.". I know how dangerous it is to move someone with neck or back injuries (I'm certain the Khajiit has both), but we're vampires and withstand a little more.

Even when we're injured, it takes a lot to kill us. And, she needs healing. Desperately. However, the woman still doesn't let go of my hand. I look into her blue eyes and see fear, anxiety, and sadness mixed in her gaze. I use my other hand to grasp onto her weak grip, and once again tell her, "I swear to you, nothing will happen. Nothing can get up here, and every enemy is gone. Please, my mother is the only one close enough to help you. If you don't let me go, then you might find out your questions about the gods sooner than you would like.". Her eyes are still swimming with emotion, but she releases my hand and allows me to go. It truly hurts me, but I force myself to stand up and leave. I can only hope I get back in time.

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><p>The next keeper is sitting in a throne of bones, his lackeys scuttling around him. I can't help cursing, I'd hoped that this would be easier. Oh well, I may as well get this over with. I flatten myself to the ground, slowly crawling on my stomach up the pile of bones and ash I was hiding behind. The shards of bones dig into my flesh and scratch at my clothes, but I ignore it and keep climbing. When I get to the top I look around, counting five skeletal minions crawling around the keeper. I ready a shard of ice in my hand, aim at two skeletons that are close together, and fire.<p>

The two piles of bones explode, useless. The three others turn to me, and I take two out before the last remaining skeleton notices me. He doesn't get to run up and attack me, but he does point and scream to reveal me to his master. The keeper is standing, and looks at where his now dead minion was pointing. When he sees me his roars, drawing his gigantic sword as he charges me. He has trouble getting up the steep incline of the pile, just like I planned. He never reaches the top, dying and falling down the miniature mountain. When his body is settled, I rush down the bones and ash. I kick the corpse to make sure he's dead, then begin to leave. Now two of the famed keepers lie dead, but I still need to find the last remaining one. But where could he be? I don't know, so I choose a likely direction and begin walking.

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><p>I can't help sighing in happiness when I find the final keeper, the creature slowly strutting around the area he's in. It takes forever, but eventually I find a good place to hide and wait for him to become more vulnerable. Finally, he reveals his back to me. In an instant I'm showering him with ice spikes, the beast slowly going down. His five minions turn and begin running towards me, but I'm already gone. I can't help sighing in relief. Now all I have to do is convince my mother to ignore the scroll, come out to where she's vulnerable (while carrying multiple potions and salves), and have her heal my friend so she can at the very least walk. This should be fun.<p>

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><p>"Mother!". My scream is shrill, breaking the silence of the cairn. Valerica hisses, "No! Let the beast die, she knew what she was in for!". I stomp my foot, aware that it makes me look like a child. But right now I really don't care, my own mother is refusing to even heal my friend. I've even offered to go and get her, but my mother only shook her head harder. Now we're standing where we were before, but the barrier no longer separates us. At least, not the pulsing energy barrier. Valerica points towards her lair and tells me, "Come on, you need to get the scroll and get out of here as quickly as you can!". I shake my head and say, "My friend is badly hurt, she's probably dying as we speak. I need to heal her.".<p>

My mother glares and questions me, "Why? Why do you need to save that cat? We eat cats, and occasionally keep them as pets. We don't try to save them if they get hurt, the most we do for them is end their misery. It's not my fault you left her alive. You should have torn her to shreds, or thrown her off the top of the tower. Now, get the scroll and go finish the prophecy.". An unexpected wave of rage washes over me and I snarl, "She's my friend.". My mother laughs and hisses, "Friend? I taught you better than to make friends with a weak craven. Your father should have torn her head from her body, not made her one of us. This is your last chance, get the scroll or go attempt to save your friend.". I growl.

Her lips curl in a smile as she says, "I'll tell you what, get her here and I'll heal her. From what you've said of her injuries, she won't make it halfway.". I hiss and tell her, "You're wrong. She'll survive and you'll help her, then we'll both take the scroll and leave. After we're gone, we'll end this madness once and for all. And we'll do it together.". My mother curls her lip in disdain and whispers, "I raised you better.". She turns and begins walking away. I sigh and yell, "Mother!". She flips around, hissing in full force and snarling at me as she yells, "Leave! You'll get the scroll when you yank it from my dead hands! Go find your precious friend and try to save her life, but I'm sure as oblivion not helping.". She turns and storms off, mumbling and cursing under her breath. I turn away and run towards the tower. My mother said she wouldn't save my friend, but I still have to go get her and bring her back. I have to try. That's all I can do.


	12. Healing Hands

Skeletons rise from the ground occasionally, screaming at me in their attempt to challenge me to a fight. I ignore them, although I might regret it later. Right now I need to get back to my injured friend, and I need to do it as fast as possible. Her wounds were extremely bad when I left, every second could be the difference between life and death. When I reach the tower it takes me a moment to find the portal, but when I find it I instantly leap into the swirling pool of black and purple. The tendrils lash out and twine around me, and suddenly I'm once again atop the gigantic structure. I bolt up the stairs, the Khajiit still lying where I left her. I once again fall to my knees when I near her, checking to see if the woman is alive.

For one gut-wrenching moment I think my friend has passed on into the void, but then she whimpers and I know she's still in this world. Now, I have to decide how to move her. The woman is still conscious, but in too much pain to talk to me. So, I can't ask her what hurts and what doesn't. That just makes everything harder, and increases the risk of permanently hurting her. But I have to get her to my mother, so I gingerly begin moving parts of her body. Her arms and legs are going to be dangling and shattered no matter what, but they're so broken I doubt I could do much more harm. Now, her torso is my main concern.

Her back is broken, and it's extremely easy to make those injuries worse. So, I'm going to have to cradle her all the way back to my mother. However, there's still one major problem, her neck is broken. While no damage has been done to the spinal cord, one wrong step could end up killing her. Damn it, I need one of those boards they use to carry wounded soldiers off the battlefield. No, that still wouldn't work. I would have to have two people for that, and my mother sure isn't going to offer any assistance. I'm wasting time, I need to get her to help! I carefully move her shattered limbs together and yank the cord from my cape, the black cloth flapping away. Then, I hogtie the woman as if she were a calf or pig.

It's demeaning and humiliating, but now her arms and legs are out of the way. Now, I need to do something to her neck. I need something to immobilize her injured area, but I don't have anything in sight. Suddenly, a shimmer catches my attention. I turn and see a boneman's bow lying on the ground. It's not much, but it'll do. I walk over, snatch the item, and go back to the Khjaiit. I yank the string from the weapon, manage to slide the bow under her back, and tie her to stick. I have to break the string twice, once for her neck and once for her torso. Finally, the woman is as ready as she'll ever be. Her limbs are tied, her neck and back are secure, and I quickly shove her tail in between her legs for convenience.

I work my arm in between her arms and legs, carry her like a bag. Then, I stand up and bring my hand up to my shoulder. It'll be rough, but at least I have one hand ready to fight. I sigh as I begin walking, the Khajiit weighing me down on one side. We reach the portal and I step on it, once again transported to the bottom of the tower. I longingly look at my mother's hiding place, the castle so far away and the dangers along the way numerous. No use standing around looking at my goal, so I once again resume walking. A few skeletons trouble us along the way, but my trademark ice spikes easily resolve the issue. All in all, the walk back to my mother is surprisingly uneventful.

When we reach the door I push it, and sigh in relief when it swings open. I strut through, frantically searching for my mother. It takes a few moments, but I find her bent over an alchemy table. She doesn't even bothering turning when I enter, simply saying, "Leave.". I place my friend on the floor and demand, "You promised you would heal my friend if I got her here alive. Here she is, and she's still kicking.". My elder turns around, eyeing the Khajiit. She hums and says, "I did say that, didn't I? I hate to disappoint you, but I had and still have no intention of assisting your companion. I was expecting her dead, and I'm willing to wait until her wounds heal improperly and kill her.".

I hiss, "You lied.". The woman cocks her head, nods, and agrees, "The ancient vampire lied to someone for her own gain. Shocker of the era.". I take a step forward and demand, "Heal her.". My mother shakes her head, a smirk adorning her face. I peel back my lips and threaten, "I'll tell father exactly where you are.". The smirk drops and she snarls, "You wouldn't, I know you. You adore me too much.". I harden my gaze and say, "I thought I knew you, and I thought you stuck to your word. I was wrong, so you can be just as wrong as me. Heal her or face Harkon. Your precious shield is down, and there are only so many places to hide in here. Oblivion, I'll guard the only exit to make sure you don't manage to slip around him!".

She glares and whispers, "My own daughter, threatening to end me.". I point at my friend and growl, "You promised to fix her, now do it!". She gives me a hiss, then walks over to my companion. She roughly yanks the woman up, begins to walk away, and commands me over her shoulder, "Bring everything in there.". I turn, gather all of the supplies she has, and follow her as quickly as I can. She roughly drops the woman on the ground, and I rush over to make sure she's okay. She's fine (well, alive), but I can't tell if she's conscious or not. My mother pulls a dagger from somewhere, a gigantic smirk on her face. I hope for my friend's sake she isn't conscious.

My mother cuts the bonds hogtying my friend, her shattered limps falling away to reveal her broken torso. Valerica's smirk disappears, the woman obviously concerned with how she's going to fix this. She reaches down and begins relieving my companion of her armor. I don't question it, it would be nearly impossible to heal someone wearing something that hides the wounds. I look down at the vampire armor, and I suddenly realize something. This could have saved my friend's life. Her fur armor was pathetic, and she would have been absolutely destroyed in it.

It's a somewhat comforting thought that she at least has decent armor. However, I remember her complaining about her chest was exposed. I glance at the woman in question, and sure enough her collarbones are shattered and her chest is slightly concave. My mother is examining the woman, trying to find out what's broken and what isn't. While she does that, I rise and begin looking for items. It takes a while, but I find a small amount of steel and a hammer. My mother had them under her alchemy table, probably because she had no use for them. My flame spell is extremely hot, and it'll serve as a forge. It doesn't take long, and finally I have improved armor for the Khajiit. I turn in happiness, just in time to see my mother sinking her blade into the Khajiit's stomach.

In an instant I fly at her, slamming the woman to the ground. The armor in long forgotten as I snarl, "What are you doing?!". My mother sighs and explains, "I need to see what's going on inside her, and it requires removing her skin. She'll be fine, trust me.". I growl and the woman promptly pushes me off her, stands, and goes back to what she was doing. I stay by her side, making sure I know what's going on. She carefully opens up the woman, using flames to stop any bleeding from her blade. I suppose it's a good thing she opened the Khajiit up, her internals are a mess.

Bone fragments are everywhere, her shattered and broken bones are knocked out of place, her internal organs have decided to wrestle, and black blood is seeping everywhere. Valerica sighs, takes off her cape, and begins mopping up the mess. When a new organ or area is revealed she uses her flame spell on the wounds, sealing the internal skin and ceasing the endless pooling of blood. Her cape is drenched by the time she's done, and my mother curses as she throws it aside. My mother looks down at the dried organs and tells me, "Now, to remove these bones. Feel free to help.". I don't. My mother begins removing the shattered bones, putting some back in place and throwing some to the side. The ones she throws are the tiny ones, and would cause more harm than good.

After that, my mother begins dusting off the shards and dust of bone. She smirks at her work, then goes about untangling the woman's guts. She's flipping her stomach when I notice a bit of movement, and look at my friend's face. Her eyes are wide open, and flicking about in fear. Oh fuck. I slam a fist into my mother's shoulder and snarl, "She's awake!". Valerica keeps going and simply tells me, "Knock her out.". I hesitate, unsure of what to do. Then, I see the pain in the woman's eyes and do the first thing that comes to mind. I punch, but the woman stays awake.

I yelp and keep hitting, the woman eventually losing consciousness. I sigh in relief, but can't help wondering how long the woman was awake. Could she feel anything and just not move? I don't want to think about that. My mother hums at her work and begins sewing the woman back up, placing a few 'support beams' here and there. The 'support beams' are small steel beams my mother is occasionally melting to two bones to keep them in place, and encourage them to mend together. It's a good thing I didn't use all of her steel. My mother has told me that she can remove them once the bones are healed, but it makes no difference. So, if we don't come back there's no real problem. Finally, my mother is done sewing my friend together. Her torso is back to normal, mostly because of the metal pipes inside her.

Now the woman moves onto the Khajiit's arms, but that 'healing' mostly consist of snapping the bones back into place. She does the same with my friend's legs, popping all four appendages back into place. She smiles down at the Khjaiit, then begins unleashing healing spells at a rapid pace. I add my own magic, the Khajiit's arms and legs fully mended. However, we don't bother doing her torso. It'll hurt, but it'll heal on its own after a while. Besides, we need to save magic for her spine and neck. It's a known fact that it takes months for injures such as hers to heal, and even then they're never truly the same. The person always has to take it easy, and never do anything worth doing. But magic can heal those injures in a few seconds, and the person is as good as new.

However, we have to be extremely careful. One wrong spell in the wrong place and **BAM! **You have someone unable to move for the rest of their life, and that's the very last thing I want for my Khajiit companion. My mother clears her throat and motions for me to help her, and together we gently flip the Khajiit over. Valerica tells me what to do, and we begin running our hands up and down the woman's spine as we heal. Finally, the woman is good to go. Well, my mother gives her a healing spell for the possible concussion, then says, "Good as-". She freezes, looking up at the sky. She whispers, "Oh no.". I follow her gaze, a gigantic dragon flying at us from off in the distance. Oh no indeed.


	13. Durnehviir

**Dovahkiin POV:**

I slowly regain consciousness, my last memory Serana's elbow connecting with my face. My eyes cross when I open them, the world around me one gigantic blur. I blink, the fuzziness snapping back to normal. The purple sky is crackling with black lightning, swirling clouds sweeping in and out of my vision. I groan and try to move, but stop when I feel a surprising stiffness all over my body. Suddenly, the ground seems to vibrate beneath me. Is something going on? It suddenly occurs to me that the only sound I can hear is a loud ringing, and that blocks out about everything else.

Maybe I need to swallow or something. My mouth is extremely dry and taste like ask, not to mention my tongue is like a dried piece of wood. It takes a minute, but eventually I have enough spit to swallow the tiny mouthful of liquid. My ears _pop _and I cringe at the sudden burst of sound. Screaming, roaring, and the cackling of skeletons. Whatever's going on, it obviously isn't good for me. And, I know well enough that staying still leaves me open for a surprise attack. I force both of my hands close, the muscles in my arm silently groaning in agony as they're used. I repeat the action a few times, and eventually my hands are able to do anything I will them to. Then, I begin to work on my arms by flexing my elbows. It's extremely slow going, but eventually I'm able to fully move my arms.

After that, I work on my legs and neck. Finally, I try to move my back. My spine refuses to bend, rewarding my efforts with a dull throb. I sigh and resign myself to lie there for a moment, then a skeleton's skull flies by my vision and I decide better. This time I force my back to bend, a loud series of _cracks _resounding in the air. It sounds extremely painful, but to me it feels wonderful. My spine is now allowing me to move and twist, my body now completely unlocked. I struggle to my feet, a strange sluggishness sliding into my muscles. My appendages are doing what I want, but it seems to take a few seconds. Like when I'm on sleeping tree sap, skooma, use too many healing spells, or eat certain berries.

It's not a bad feeling, but it's definitely one I don't want to have. Suddenly, the earth seems to sway beneath my feet. I groan, barely leaning over in time before I evacuate my stomach. Ugh, apparently vampires throw up exactly what they eat. Disgusting. I groggily stumble away from the puddle of steaming blood, all of my joints now struggling to keep from moving. Somehow, I manage to still myself. Something rolls beside me, and I'm reminded there's a fight going on. I flip around, fall on my side, and sheepishly stand back up. The sight I see is extremely confusing and terrifying, although I'm too sluggish and sleepy to process the information very fast.

Serana and Valerica are fighting multiple skeletons, the undead keep rising from the ground, and a dragon is sitting atop the stone structure that surrounds us. I can't help gazing up at the gigantic flying lizard, a promise I made so long ago ringing in my head. I swore to retrieve the dragonstone, and I never did. I shove my thoughts away and kneel to the ground, trying to collect my thoughts. I need to help Serana and her mother. I don't have a bow, but I have some wicked claws. However, I think I can find a weapon around here somewhere. A scream causes me to look up, and I see my friend swarmed by three walking skeletons. No time. Without thinking I charge, roaring as I slam into one of the enemies.

The monster shatters, shards of bone spraying my face. I hiss and flip around, knocking another skeleton to pieces. The third one manages to wrap his bony arms around my neck, but a sharp kick breaks his legs and he explodes when he hits the ground. I turn to face Serana, the woman looking at me with shock and happiness in her eyes. An odd combination, but it seems to capture what the woman feels. I manage to ask her, "What happened?". Serana pants and waves her arms, pointing to the remaining enemies. Obviously she thinks that the fight is more important. I nod in agreement, and rush to Valerica. It's clear she's in trouble, three more skeletons are swarming her.

Serana follows right behind me, but suddenly gets cutoff by a wave of fire. I leap back, screaming in terror. I'm as flammable as dried wood, so I need to stay as far away from fire as possible. And, somehow I think the few feet separating me from the green fire isn't enough. However, the flames quickly subside. I sigh in relief, then wail in fear as a dragon lands in front of me. Serana is screaming something, but for some reason can't come to my aid. The monster snarls, revealing his rotten teeth as dirt and mold slide from his filthy scales. I'm hyperventilating, my claws my only weapon.

The gigantic reptile opens his mouth to bathe me in my death, then his beady eyes meet mine. It pauses, slowly closing its jaws. The beast tilts his head, then a deep male voice rumbles, "Dovahkiin?". What on Nirn did he just call me? Suddenly, Valerica is leaping from somewhere unknown. She hits the dragon in the side of the head, screaming as she plunges her dagger into his skull. The beast growls, flinging Serana's mother to the side. The dragon turns his giant body, opening his mouth and curling his neck to strike like a snake. Without thinking I roar, leaping onto the dragon's back. His head flips about, the roaring monster beginning to buck and open his wings to take flight. I can't allow him to take to the air, so I make sure what I do counts.

In three steps I'm awkwardly straddling the monster's neck, right behind his massive skull. I reveal my ten tremendous claws, slashing as quickly and as hard as I can. It hardly deters the massive lizard, the creature starting to flap his shredded wings. I close my eyes, gather my small amount of courage, and scream as I drive both of my hands downward. Everyone freezes at the sickening _shank _as all ten of my claws sink into the dragon's skull, right behind his horns. The creature stops flapping, collapsing to the ground. I yank my claws out, a greenish glow coming over the dragon's body.

I yelp and leap off it as it begins to disappear, an odd grey slush coating my claws. When the dragon's gone I see a figure lying on the ground, right in front of where the monster's chest would be. I jog over and help Valerica up, the woman obviously shaken. I can't blame her, a dragon was less than a foot away from crushing her. By the time I help her up Serana is standing beside us, blinking in a mixture of confusion and aw. Valerica turns to me and begins the conversation by saying, "You saved me.". When I nod she continues, "I was horrible to you, but you still saved me.". She blinks, then demands, "Follow me.". She motions to both me and Serana, then begins walking away. I look over at my friend, but when she simply shrugs I follow her mother.

Valerica takes us over to a small room, a box the main thing in the shed like building. She nervously looks around, wringing her hand. She clears her throat and tells me, "I thought I would never see the end of that dragon. Thank you.". She opens the box, the object we came for nestled inside. I slowly reach out, picking up the scroll. I turn to Serana, offering it to her. She looks at me in shock and says, "You want me to carry it?". I nod and explain, "I think the scrolls should be together, and I trust you to carry them.". I leave out the part that the scroll is extremely heavy, and I doubt I could easily lug it around. Serana takes the scroll, not meeting my eyes as she asks, "You trust me?".

I nod, the Valerica ruins the moment by saying, "I forgot you were naked.". I can practically feel my eyes widen, and I'm suddenly aware that I'm not wearing a stitch of clothing. My tail instinctively curls around my waist, my feathered appendage draping down and covering my genitals. I quickly cross my arms, now able to have some sense of dignity. I cough and ask, "Why am I naked? Where are my clothes?". Serana doesn't answer, looking everywhere besides me. However, her mother tells me, "I had to heal you, and that required me to remove your armor.". I nod, remembering the pain of what the keeper did to me. And, the fear after Serana was forced to leave me. The woman in question leaves, returning with my armor.

I thank her, taking the vampire armor and quickly getting into it. I notice my cleavage is covered by new armor, but decide to ask about it later. For now I'm just happy to be covered, and no longer naked around Serana's mother. I wouldn't have minded if it was just my friend, but it just seems wrong not to be clothed around her mother. My concerns are pushed to the back of my mind when Valerica says, "Goodbye.". I look over and see her shooing us away, a look of tiredness mixed with a bit of diluded and mild anger. She probably just wants us to leave.

I oblige by nodding and walking away, Serana awkwardly following me. When we're out of earshot I ask, "Did you want to say goodbye to your mother?". She glares over her shoulder and hisses, "There's nothing left to say.". I throw her a questioning glance and ask, "What are you talking about?". She waves my concern off and tells me, "I'll explain later, it's not important right now.". Her eyes suddenly flash and she once again asks, "You trust me?". When I nod she advises me, "It's not smart to trust a vampire. Many people would advise against it.". I shrug and simply say, "I've been called an imbecile before, but in this case I don't think the word fits. You've saved me multiple times, and we genuinely seem to get along. So, I'll ignore the advice and keep trusting you.".

Serana falls silent for a few seconds, then clears her throat to question me, "You think we get along?". I give her a side eye as I say, "Yes. I find your company enjoyable, don't you enjoy mine?". My friend seems to leap on my statement, happily announcing, "All I've done so far can be one giant lie, fabricated to get your trust and approval.". I suddenly see what she's doing, let out a small chuckle, and tell her, "If you're looking for a battle of wits, then you've come to the wrong place. I trust you, like being around you, and consider you my friend. Congratulations, you've earned a cowardly Khajiit as a friend.". Serana shakes her head, both of us beginning to ascend the stairs to leave.

Before we've reached the top my companion says, "You aren't as cowardly as you think you are, if anything you're quite brave. I mean, you killed a dragon with your bare hands!". I wave off my deed, explaining, "I wasn't thinking when I did that. I didn't have time to be afraid. I was terrified, but not in a way that really sticks. A person can't be brave if they aren't afraid. Besides, I was just worried about you and your mother. I wasn't even thinking of my own life.". My vampire friend considers what I've said, then completely changes the subject by interrogating me, "Why did Durnehviir call you 'Dovahkiin'?". I shrug and answer her as honestly as I can, "I'm assuming Durnehviir is the dragon, but I honestly don't know.". We've walked through the door and we're now in the Soul Cairn, and a masculine voice interrupts our conversation by rumbling, "Then, allow me to explain.".


	14. One Down

The gigantic dragon clears his throat, sliding down from the ruined word wall he was perched on. He takes a few steps, his massive head looking down at Serana and me. He blinks, dirt and mold continually falling from his greenish scales. He licks his cracked lips with his rotten tongue, then rumbles, "Qahnaarin. It is good to meet you when we are not locked in combat.". I cringe as his disgusting breath, but control my impulse to leap back. I cough a little, then question the monster, "Qahnaarin? What does that mean? Are you mad that I defeated you? Are you going to hurt Valerica?".

He chuckles at my rapid questioning, but answers all of them, "I will explain Qahnaarin briefly. I am far from mad that you bested me on the field of battle, it has been too long since I found a champion of my equal. And, I shall not harm the one I am sworn to guard. I fear that there is nothing else I can do, and The Other Masters are now beyond caring about her fate.". I can practically feel Serana relax beside me, obviously happy her mother won't be getting eaten. Durnehviir shakes his tremendous head, flinging earth and fungus. Then, he continues speaking, "Qahnaarin is a title I have bestowed upon you, but I shall call you Dovahkiin if you wish it.". Serana butts into the conversation by demanding, "What does 'Dovahkiin' mean?". It takes me a second to realize she's talking to me.

I shrug and tell her, "I don't have the fainest clue.". The gigantic dragon lets out a surprised noise, and when we turn to him he says, "Dovahkiin! You aren't aware of your destiny?". I raise my hands in a defensive position and tell him, "No! What destiny?!". Serana has moved to be closer to me, obviously just as intrigued as I am. The dragon in front of us shakes his head, and says, "I can not explain your destiny to you, or why you are given the title of 'Dovahkiin'. It is not my place, and I fear the knowledge might hurt you if you are not ready. However, I can tell you a few things.".

"Your destiny has been started, or else I wouldn't know to bestow the title of 'Qahnaarin' on you. And, you need to complete your destiny. I'm unaware of how you would do that, but you need to badly. As soon as you possibly can, race to meet your fate with open arms.". He swishes his tail and continues, "Now, onto the matter I wished to speak of. I've never been felled on the field of battle in The Soul Cairn, and you have proven your fighting abilities. Now, I wish to ask a favor of you.". I feel Serana grab my hand and tug. I look at the vampire, and she tells me, "Come on, we don't need to do him a favor.". She moves to leave, but the dragon growls and causes her to pause. Serana drops my hand, but proceeds to cross her arms and glare at Durnehviir.

The dragon continues where he left off by saying, "I shall teach you a shout to summon me, and all you have to do is call for me three times in your mortal plane. I'll teach you a powerful shout, one that can rip someone's very soul from their body.". I blink and ask, "Shout?". Durnehviir blinks back, curses, and says, "You're far too far behind in your destiny to learn from me. Return when you've learned the way of the dragons.". Before I can say anything, Serana is yanking me away. I have no choice but to follow her, upset. As we walk Serana asks me, "What did he mean by 'the way of the dragon'?".

I shrug and tell her, "I truly don't even have the foggiest of clues. Dragons have been dead for thousands of years, he's the last one. And, he isn't even alive. Not truly.". My friend allows a lull in the conversation, then questions me, "Do you really not know what either of those titles mean?". I sigh and repeat, "I don't have the foggiest clue. Any more questions?". Serana smugly smiles and dares to ask, "Were you lying when you said you trusted me?". I shake my head, sigh again, and answer her, "I wasn't lying, I absolutely trust you. If I had to jump from a building or cliff, then I'd only hope you'd be at the bottom to catch me.". Serana smiles and I smile back, both of us pleased. My traveling companion ruins the moment by saying, "That would kill both of us.".

I reach over and smack the woman on the arm, the vampire chuckling before she says, "I'm glad you trust me.". She kicks a rock as she mumbles, "I trust you to.". I don't know how to respond to that, but I know how I feel. Ecstatic. Trust is a hard thing to come by, especially in Skyrim. It means a lot when someone says that they trust you, and it means even more when someone you care about says it. That last thought causes my mind to freeze. Do I care about Serana? I guess a do. Oh, I may as well admit that I do. But how deeply? Do I want her as a friend, or as a romantic partner?

Is there a difference at this point in our relationship? If she asked me to court her I know I would say yes, but I'd say yes to almost anyone. I've never had a romantic relationship, but I'd imagine it would be nice to have one with Serana. However, would it be better to have her as a friend? I want to be her friend, but I can feel a deep longing to be more than just that. Perhaps I'll allow Serana to make the first move, and go from there. I'm not oozing with self-confidence, and I'll never have the guts to ask Serana to court me. Yeah, I'll just wait and see what she does. If she decides to take it in a romantic area, then I'll be happy to follow her there. If she decides just to be my friend, then I'll be the best damned friend that she's ever had.

My thoughts are interrupted when we reach the exit, and I quickly take the steps. I despise the feeling of moving from one plane to the other, but it's a necessary evil. Finally, we're back in the lab Valerica set up. I sigh and wait for Serana to come through, the woman not looking the slight bit upset by moving through the planes. I smile at her, then realize something. I ask Serana, "Now what?". My friend looks at me, dumbly blinks, and says, "What?". I cough to clear my through and explain, "We have one scroll, now we need the other. Where do we do?".

Serana's eyes widen and she roughly curses, slamming her foot against the wall. She curses again at her hurt foot, rubbing it as she growls, "I forgot we needed another scroll! Damn it!". She shakes her head, but tells me, "I'd expect someone at The College of Winterhold might know something.". I nod in agreement and ask, "Want to start heading there?". She nods, leading me out to a balcony. She leaps down onto the rocks below, holding her arms out. It takes me a few seconds, but then I realize she's waiting to catch me. I gulp, then jump. I close my eyes as the wind whips by my ears, then feel my back hit two strong arms. I crack open my eyes, suddenly knowing if I see Serana in a romantic light or not. The sun is right above her head, giving her a halo of light.

Her beautiful and lustrous hair is a somehow attractive mess, snapping around her head and shining in the dim sunlight. The cold is causing her breath to come out in small puffs, her chapped and pinkish lips lightly parted. She blinks as she gazes back at me, her long and thick eyelashes wonderfully highlighting her eyes. Her eyes in question are a reddish orange like the blood she needs to survive, and even now they glow like embers after a long fire. Her alluring porcelain skin is unmarred by a single blemish or scar. I can't help looking at the structure of her face and her nose, everything about her coming together to make a beautiful creature of the night. It's painfully and obviously clear that I want her as a romantic partner, although I doubt she feels the same way.

Why would a beautiful and strong woman like her even look at someone like me? I can feel sadness and self-hater consume me. Serana must see it also because she furrows her brow, her perfect eyebrows almost touching. My friend cocks her head and questions, "What's wrong?". I shake my head and tell her, "Nothing.". I move to leave her arms, but Serana refuses to let me down. I look back up and see a stern look on her face. She demands, "Tell me what's bothering you.". I think of something off the top of my head and tell her, "I'm nervous about the trip.".

The look of Serana's face tells me that she doesn't believe me, but she puts me down anyway. She begins climbing down the rocks, and I quickly follow her. When we're down from the rocks I ask her, "How will we get to Winterhold?". Serana begins walking and I follow her, my friend answering my question as we go, "We'll get a carriage to Whiterun, then take a separate one to Winterhold.". I instantly ask, "Why to Whiterun?". My companion explains, "You need a bow, we need supplies, and the carriage won't go all the way to Winterhold. Well, I'm assuming. We'll just grab some stuff if Whiterun, then go to Winterhod.".

I nod to confirm her words and tell her, "You're right, and Winterhold is too far for a driver from Solitude to go.". I suddenly ask, "Do you have gold?". My friend digs around in her armor, and produces a small amount. She counts it out, nods in approval, and tells me, "We have enough. Barely. We might have to steal your bow.". We've arrived at the tiny boat, and both of us quickly get in. As I begin rowing I tell Serana, "I'm fine with that.". My friend laughs, the fog consuming us.

* * *

><p>The carriage bumps down the road, Serana sitting across from me. I'm tempted to tap my foot, but I manage to contain myself. When the carriage comes to a halt I leap out, my friend following me. I look up at Whiterun, a thousand memories coming back to me. Trying to impress Ysolda, getting the shit beat out of me, running from my promises, and becoming the laughing stock of the entire town. I sure hope the bard that beat me is still around, so I can kick his ass or tell him off. Serana sees me looking at the city, something clicks inside her brain, and she asks, "Excited to be back?".<p>

I shake my head and answer, "I hate this place. All I remember is being beaten and made fun of.". I hesitate before saying, "At least I have you.". Serana reaches out and comfortingly grabs my hand. I look over and the vampire says, "Yeah, you have me. And, if anyone tries to do anything to you, then I'll beat the shit out of them.". Serana smiles at me, grabs onto my hand tighter, begins yanking me up to the city, and says, "Let's go, we have a prophecy to fulfill!".


	15. Whiterun

**Serana POV:**

The guards at the entrance of the city try to stop us, but a hiss from me causes both of them to leap aside. I smirk and drag my friend through the walls, my hand still wrapped around hers. However, that doesn't stop her from slightly digging her heels into the earth. I inwardly sigh, tugging harder and forcing the Khajiit to enter the city. I'm slightly aware of what she went through here, and she still has a bit of her cowardly ways in her. But I'm not going to allow her to get out of going around the city with me. She needs to face her fears, and I actually enjoy having the woman around.

Besides, she doesn't need to fear anything. If someone gives her trouble, then I'll drain them of every drop of blood they have. My friend may not appreciate it, but it'll bring me some measure of enjoyment. My friend suddenly stops dead in her tracks, like a mule refusing to cross an unsafe bridge. I turn around and ask, "What's wrong?". The Khajiit says, "Nothing.". However, she begins trying to back up. When I hold tight the woman begs, "Please, let me go.". I shake my head, following the Khajiit's eyes. My gaze comes to rest on a woman standing in the market, a basket of vegetables hanging from her arm. The woman has auburn hair, pale skin, and is wearing a blue dress. Something clicks in my mind and I turn to the Khajiit, instantly asking, "Is that Ysolda?".

She shakes her head frantically, obviously too frantically to be true. I smile and ask, "Are you nervous to see her?". The Khajiit stops fighting, weakly looking at the ground and nodding her head in defeat. I reach out, lift her head so she's looking at me, and tell her, "You have no reason to be nervous. Both of you are adults, and you both made your choices. You were driven away from courting her, but you never said anything you should regret. Did you?". When she shakes her head I continue, "See, you don't have any reason to avoid her! It's the bard that caused the problem, and if we saw him I'd kick his ass. Now, can we please just walk by her? We're going to go to the inn over there and get a room, nothing else. Please?".

I wait until she nods, then release her hand and begin walking. The Khajiit follows me, but practically glues herself to my side. I expect Ysolda to simply go about her business and not notice us, but the gods seem to frown upon our luck. Ysolda turns, and in an instant is rushing over to us. I can practically feel my friend freeze up, terrified. Ysolda has almost reached us, and I decide to do the only thing I can think of. I reach out, grab the Khajiit's hand, and 'forcibly' yank her over to the inn. I manage to glance over my shoulder, and see a confused Ysola standing where we once were. She's probably upset, but at least she can't be angry at the Khajiit.

When we're inside the inn my companion tells me, "Thank you.". I nod, then make my way over to the bar. A heavyset woman behind the counter is cleaning a mug with a dirty rag, her eyes turned to the ground. I take out a small amount of gold, handing it to the woman. She nods her head and tells me, "Room up top. Two people max.". I nod, then return to the Khajiit. She's taken a seat at a table, nervously looking around the room. I curse when I realize I've forgotten something, then return to the bar to buy us some food and drinks. Two beers, two loaves of bread, and a sweetroll.

The food is for the Khajiit, I no longer feel the urge to eat. However, the woman is young and her stomach is still able to break down mortal food. She'll need to enjoy bread and beer while she can, soon enough her stomach shall become little more than a hardened muscle. However, I don't tell her that as I hand her the food. I make sure to snag a beer from her, the liquid one of the few things I can still indulge in. The Khajiit begins eating, her fangs easily tearing the bread and roll apart. While she eats I tell her, "We need to get some supplies. Healing potions, a bow, and some arrows. I'll look into getting some better armor, but don't plan on anything. I'll also get a few wine skins to fill with blood, and we can go hunting tonight. Any questions or objections?".

When she shakes her head I tell her, "Good.". I quickly rise and walk away, my companion following me. Ysolda is nowhere to be seen, but the Khajiit still sticks to my side. I chuckle under my breath at the sight of the vampire acting like a lost puppy. We easily find the smith, but it takes her a minute to finish what she's working on. When she's finally done she turns to us and asks, "May I help you?". I step forward and tell her, "I need your finest bow, as many arrows as you have, and I want to look at your light armor.". She nods, then goes into her shop.

She returns carry quite a few bundles, and deposits them in front of us. My friend instantly picks up the orcish bow, stringing the weapon and running her finger along the bow. Then, she picks up the quiver full of steel arrows. I question my companion, "Do you like it?". She looks up at me with shining eyes, happily nodding her head. I look over the armor, but I can't find anything I like. I look at the Khajiit and motion at the armor. She looks hesitant and asks, "Are you sure?". When I nod she begins examining the armors, picking out a pair of leather boots, fur bracers, and a hide helm. It's not a good look given her vampiric armor, but the items will protect her in the field of battle. I look at the smith and ask, "How much?". She looks at me, and I do what I've planned.

I quickly cast my seductive spell over her, the woman blinking and shaking her head. She tries to free herself of my charm, but she's still too weak. Her eyes blur and she slurs, "It's on the house.". My friend looks shocked, she was too busy examining her bow to see me cast the spell. I take her hand and rush away before the spell wears off, and the smith makes us pay for what we've 'purchased'. I don't stop until we're back at the inn, and even then I still feel a bit on edge. However, after a few minutes I forget about it. I turn to say something to the Khajiit, but find her breathing hard and looking across the room.

I follow her gaze and see Ysolda sitting on a bench, a man with a lute standing beside her and singing. Anger flares inside me as I realize who he is, and what he's done. I turn to the Khajiit and hiss, "Him?!". She once again frantically shakes her head, and I once again don't believe it. I stand up, nearly knocking my chair to the ground. I'm about to storm over to the man and deliver some street justice, but a cold hand stops me. I look down, my friend's hand wrapped around mine. I look into her eyes, and see the desperation in them as she begs, "Please, don't.". I once again move to confront him, but another 'please' gets me to stop. It's clear the woman is uncomfortable with the situation, so I'll let her get out of it. For now.

However, I can't let her get out of it when the bard makes his way over to us. He slams his hand on the table, his arm in between the Khajiit and me. He has his back turned to me, and completely ignores me as he whispers/growls, "I thought I told you not to come back here.". I expect the woman to do something cowardly, so I prepare to help. However, my friend hisses, "You're not the boss of me, now leave me alone.". It's not an award winning comeback, but I can hear that she's bringing her fangs into her words. It adds a slight _hiss _to the end of her words, but it'll show off her gleaming teeth.

That's usually enough to get mortals to leave, but the bard is either especially brave or especially stupid. In all honesty, there's not much of a difference. The man lashes out, scoring a solid hit on my friend's jaw. He's moved his hand so nobody besides me can see the movement, and if the Khajiit fights back Ysolda will think she started it. However, I don't give two shits what Ysolda thinks about me. I leap forward, grabbing the man in a headlock as I flop back down in my seat. He gags and scratches at my arm, but I don't release him. Instead, I hiss in his ear, "Leave. I don't want to see your face ever again. I swear to Molag Bal, _I will end you. _I don't want you to come within a hundred feet of my friend or me, and I don't want to see you in this inn again. Understand?". I wait until he nods, then I release him.

He instantly stumbles away, and manages to leave the inn. I look over to my friend, and see a mix of relief and thankfulness on her face. Before she can say anything I tell her, "I'll kick his ass if he ever does that again.". The woman across from me looks like she's about to say something, but she once again freezes up. A dainty arm separates us, this one belonging to Ysolda. She hums and leans towards my friend, whispering to her, "Can I speak with you? In your room?". Without saying a single word my friend nods, and I can practically feel her tenseness.

Ysolda reaches out, running the back of her hand along my friend's jaw before she leaves. My friend is still frozen, her eyes as wide as physically possible. For some reason, the thought of Ysolda and the Khjaiit alone makes me nervous. The Khajiit said she no longer wished to court Ysolda, but what if she considers courting and fucking two different things? Ysolda probably does, and it's clear she at least wants to do _something _with the Khajiit. This is silly, they're two adults and are free to make their choices. But why do I still feel upset and hurt? The Khajiit and I are friends, nothing more. If Ysolda wants to do stuff with my friend, then my biggest concern should be when the room is going to be accessible to me. Suddenly, my friend asks me, "What should I do?". I swallow, and take this opportunity.

I ask her, "Do you want to court her or fuck her?". The Khajiit shakes her head and explains, "Maybe a year or so ago, but not now. She looks exactly the same, but now the fog has cleared from my mind and I see her for what she really is. She's beautiful, but not in a way that would make me fall head over heals in love with her. She's also kind, but kindness isn't impossible to find in other people. Besides, I think I'm warming up to someone else.". Damn it! Can't this woman be straightforward with who she likes?! I inwardly sigh, then tell her, "If you don't want to do anything with her, then just act friendly. If she tries to do something, then explain it to her. I'll stay outside and listen. If you can't escape the situation, then I'll help. Okay?". She nods, slowly rising. I follow her lead, heading up the stairs. I silently hope this goes well. It has to.


	16. Ysolda

The Khajiit enters our room, shutting the door behind her. I awkwardly sit down on the floor, making sure to keep one ear on the door. I need to be ready to intervene at any time, and for any reason. The two begin talking, their voices barely able to pierce the door. They're talking about something to do with the bard, and their shared laughter is easy to hear. Whatever was said, it must have been funny. I can't help rolling my eyes, the conversation already becoming boring. It's not that I don't want to hear what's going on, it's because I simply don't expect the conversation to take a bad turn.

Besides, I haven't slept since I was woken up at Dimhollow Crypt. Vampires don't _need _to sleep, but it's nice. And, it helps ward off extreme boredom. Ysolda suddenly says something that catches my attention, "You look good. _Really _good.". My friend lets out a bit of nervous laughter, and the conversation continues. I feel a flare of anger spark in me. I'm starting to believe my Khajiit companion might long for a little more than friendship, and I certainly don't want Ysolda fucking stuff up. My internal words bring me to a halt. Fuck what up? Do I want something with the Khajiit? Maybe? I snap myself out of my thoughts, I have more pressing matters right now. I go back to listening to the conversation, but it's taken a dull turn. I try to stay awake, I really do. But it's no use.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

Ysolda eyes me as she says, "You look good. _Really _good.". I laugh to defuse the situation, then ask her, "So, what have you been up to since I've been gone?". My friend is sitting on the bed, looking around the room as I stand. Ysolda shrugs and tells me, "Nothing much. Cooked a few new dishes, sold a few things to some passing merchants, and learned to play the lute.". I whistle my impression, then tell the woman, "Not bad. It's good to see you again. How's the city?". My friend stands up, walking around and examining the room as she says, "It's good and getting better, the crime rate is starting to drop.". She suddenly turns to me and asks, "Did you ever get that stone thing for the Jarl?".

When I shake my head the woman walks towards me, telling me, "That's too bad. You know, if you ever need a place to stay my house is open.". I swallow the lump in my throat and tell her, "I think the inn will be fine.". Ysolda is right in front of me down, so close I can smell the scent of vanilla and wine on her breath. The woman reaches out and places her hand on my sternum, right above my breasts. She leans in, getting her lips right beside my ear before quietly saying, "I don't think so. Someone like you shouldn't have to stay in a inn.". She brings her other hand up, running one finger down the length of my jaw as she whispers, "I don't think I ever gave you the other part of your reward.".

I swallow another lump in my throat and squeakily ask, "What's the other part?". Ysolda pulls back a bit, her hazel eyes meeting mine as she practically drips, "The other part is the best part. I think we both know what it is.". Before I can stop her, my friend has her lips pressed against mine. Her eyes are closed, but mine are wider than ever as her lips begin to move against my unresponsive ones. Ysolda eventually pulls back, her eyes burning with _something. _I try to take a step back, but my back connects with the wall. I nervously tell her, "I think you've misinterpreted what I want.".

Ysolda takes a step forward, practically pinning me against the wall as she says, "What you want is _me_.". I pull my neck back, standing as tall as I can to try to escape the situation. Where in oblivion is Serana?! Wasn't she suppose to stop this from happening?! But Serana isn't stopping it, so it's up to me to handle this situation. I awkwardly tell her, "Ysolda, I think you've gotten the wrong idea.". The woman ignores me, leaning in and nibbling my neck. Does she not mind my pelt? She begins sucking on the sensation skin beneath, so I suppose she doesn't. I bring one of my hands up and pull the woman away so I can tell her, "I think you've gotten the wrong idea, I don't like you like that. I don't even want to fuck you, I just want to be your friend.".

I expect her to react violently or with sadness, but instead the woman laughs and says, "Please, there's no shame is desiring a woman besides your other half.". I blink and question her, "Other half?". Ysold begins trying to take off my armor as she says, "That woman I saw you with earlier. Trust me, she'll never know.". I'm about to explain that Serana isn't my 'other half', but then it hits me like a train. Ysolda thinks I'm married to or in a serious relationship with Serana, and she wants to fuck me with my 'wife' in the exact same building. I take her hands away so she can't take off my armor, and tell her, "You're a homewrecker.".

Ysolda chuckles, pressing her body up against mine as she says, "I suppose I am, but your little lover will never have to know. Just one quick fuck, and then I can die in peace. Come on, I swear I'll lick your cunt until you can't even walk right. Just this once, and I'll be gone before your other half even wonders what's going on.". Ysolda once again reaches for my armor, but I refuse her. The woman shakes her head and says, "Come on, what's one little night? It's just some fun, nothing more.". When I shake my head Ysolda sighs, reaching into her dress. She pulls out a large purple bottle, sleeping tree sap inside. The woman takes a swig, moaning as her pupils dilate. My eyes widen and I hiss, "What in oblivion?! Ysolda, this isn't you!".

The woman chuckles and says, "I've been on this shit for years, and I'm always like this. You're just now paying attention.". She suddenly forces the bottle to my lips, dumping the drug into my mouth. I splutter and pull away, spitting out a mouthful. It's not enough, some of the liquid manages to work its way down my throat. My vision suddenly becomes tinted purple and blurry, I suddenly feel a lot healthier, and the entire world seems to slow down. I'm aware of something warm in my mouth, and two lips locked with mine. What's going on? I look around, and see Ysolda's face right in front of mine.

It appears I'm being kissed. Ysolda slowly pulls me away from the wall, lying me on the bed. She moves to take my armor off, but I once again refuse her. The woman I once wanted to marry sighs, then tells me, "Here, I'll show you.". She undoes the straps of her clothing, pulling down the top to reveal her tits. All I can do is blink in surprise, the older woman reaches down and grabs my hands. She guides them to her breast, using her own hands to make me massage her tits. Ysolda suddenly pulls away and whispers, "Come on, let's fuck. Just a little quick fuck before you leave.". I shake my head, but the woman insist and tells me, "Let's get you out of that armor.". She brings her hands up, beginning to undo my armor. I'm too drugged to resist, but I use my last bit of wit to slightly scream, "Serana!".

* * *

><p><strong>Serana POV:<strong>

I awoken by someone screaming my name, and it takes me a moment to realize strange noises are coming from my room. I quickly stand up, stumbling before I manage to turn around. The door burst open beneath my hands, and I practically fall into the room. I manage to take in the sight before me, and feel righteous rage build up inside me. Ysolda has her tits out, is straddling my drugged up friend, and it looks like she's currently attempting to swallow my companion's tongue.

My friend is weakly fighting to get Ysolda off of her, her eyes slowly rolling around in her skull. Without thinking, I let out a feral hissing/growling sound. I wasn't aware vampires could even make that noise, but I accomplish it. Ysolda stumbles off of my friend, her eyes are also unfocused. I manage to growl out, "Leave.". Ysolda straightens her outfit, tucks in her tits, and tells my friend, "When you're ready to fuck a _real _woman, you know where to find me.". She raises her head in disdain as she passes me, slamming the door behind her.

I rush over to my friend, the woman blinking at the ceiling. I sit her up and ask her, "What happened?". All she manages to say is, "Homewrecker.". I have no idea what that means, but I can get the whole story later. I get up, dig around in the dresser, and hand my friend a sleeping gown. She promptly shoves it back with a frown, mumbling, "Assassins.". I'm not sure who would assassinate my friend, but I let it drop. I yank my friend up so she's lying normally in bed, then tell her, "You're obviously drugged, and need to sleep it off. Go to bed, we have the room all night.

Tomorrow I'll wake you up early, so we can leave.". She nods and motions for me to lie beside her. I shake my head, but the look of sadness on my friend's face makes me reconsider. I sigh and lie beside her, the woman snuggling up to me like a child. I instantly tense up, but the woman doesn't seem to mind. I pat my drugged friend on the back and tell her, "Go to sleep.". She yawns, looks up at me, and slurs, "You're pretty. _Really _pretty.". I freeze, but the woman is already falling asleep. I take a deep breath and release. It's going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

I'm woken up by someone shaking me, and when I open my eyes I see Serana. I manage to sit up, the woman shoving a wine skin in my hand. When I pop off the top the smell of blood greets me, and I greedily suck down the liquid until my stomach's fit to burst. I sigh in content as I hand the skin back, Serana eyeing me. I cock my head and ask, "What?". My tongue feels too thick for my mouth, but I ignore that for now.

My friend clears her throat and says, "Do you remember last night? What happened?". My eyes widen as I remember the events, and I groan as I tell Serana. The vampire sighs and tells me what she saw, and we both share a moment of disbelief and disgust. However, then my companion says, "Come on, we need to go. The sun's almost up.".

I nod, following my friend's lead. We gather our things and sneak out of the city, not a single soul spotting us. I'm not exactly sure why we're hiding. That is, until we get to the stables. Two brown horses are asleep, but not for long. Serana motions for me to mount one, and she mounts the other. We spur our horses and begin riding away. We almost get away without being spotted. Almost.

The owner was sleeping by the stables, and screams at us when he sees us mounted on his steeds. I expect Serana to dismount, but instead she kicks her horse and speeds away. I simply sit there for a moment, dumbfound. Then, the man rises and I follow Serana's example. As the sun begins to rise I catch up with Serana, our horses plunging northward through the cold Skyrim air. For some reason I find myself laughing, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Serana laughs right along with me.


	17. At Last

When we're a safe distance from Whiterun we stop having our horses run, settling them in a brisk trot. I can't help asking, "Why didn't we buy these horses?". Serana shifts in her saddle and says, "I might have miscalculated how much everything would cost, and brought significantly less gold than required.". I shake my head, both of us falling into a comfortable silence as we ride. However, after a while Serana asks me, "Are you upset we had to steal these steeds? We both have a bounty on our heads.". I shake my skull and explain, "Not at all, it's a small fee. It's not like we murdered anyone.".

My friend nods in agreement, the silence once again lapsing over us. A thought comes to my mind, and I find myself asking my companion, "What are you going to do when this is all over?". The woman awkwardly shifts in her seat, allowing the reins to drop from her hands. Her horse seems to know what to do, following the trail with a bored look on his face. Serana shrugs and says, "I truly don't know, I just want to focus on what's going on right now.". I nod in understanding, but the older being continues by saying, "I think I'll stay with you. That is, if you want me?". I turn to my traveling partner, and see a true look of concern on her beautiful face. I gulp and answer, "I don't think you and I will be parting ways any time soon.". The look of concern flees her features.

However, she questions me, "What will you do when this is done?". I honestly consider my options for a few minutes, Serana allowing me time to think. Then, I tell her, "Maybe I'll become a smith or farmer, settle down into a simple life. After I fulfill my duties to the Jarl of Whiterun, of course.". The older vampire lets out a small chuckle, then inquires, "A farmer of smith? You've been blessed with the gift of immortal life in addition to vampirism, and you want a simple life of toiling in the mud or over a fire? What could compel you to throw away a gift for a commoner's life?".

I shrug and defend my choice, "I wanted to be an adventurer or mercenary when I was little, but then I grew up and realized the world is a terrifying place. I sunk into a protective shell of fear, never bothering to do anything out of my comfort zone or take any risk. My mother encouraged my transformation, her own cowardice causing her to rarely leave our home. We had to make a living so my mother and I worked in a small field, and my brother apprenticed a smith. When he died I began to work the flames, so farming and smithing are the only things a know. They're in my comfort zone, I'm good at them, and I wouldn't have to become brave. It sounds wonderful to me. Besides, what else could I do in this world?". Serana yanks her horse closer to me, a fire in her eyes.

She growls, "I was under the assumption you were going to attempt to remove your cowardice, and become brave.". I look down at the ground, unable to meet her eyes as I say, "I thought I was going to, but it's _hard. _I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I never expected this kind of struggle. When we were in the Soul Cairn it was easy because I needed to be brave for you, but it's different out here. I may be a little more assured the gods are real, but I'm still not certain. And, even if I do become certain, I'll go to Oblivion for being a vampire. Eternal torment doesn't sound fun.".

"Besides, I can be happier this way. If I learn to live with my cowardice, then I'll never have to worry. I won't have to worry about becoming braver, what'll happen if I die, or when I'll die. I'll have an eternal and simple life, and I won't even have to worry about dying in some gutter or atop some mountain.". I can't even bring myself to look her in the eyes, but she slowly reaches over and turns my head. Our horses are snorting their discontent, obviously disliking each other. Serana ignores their complaints as she looks into my eyes, a mixture of sadness, pity, and a spark of anger inside her gorgeous red orbs. She whispers, "What kind of life is that? You said we wouldn't separate any time soon, but I can't settle down for a 'simple' life. I want to _live._".

I try to look away, but my friend forces me to look at her as she continues, "I'll prove to you the gods are real, we'll both fulfill your promise to the Jarl, and then we'll make your childhood dream come true. Me and you will scour the land, battle any foe, become famous, and be showered in riches. After this is all over we'll have the chance to finally _live, _and I intend to take it. And, my definition of living isn't becoming a solo adventurer. You'll come with me. Besides, we make a good team.". My heart would be pounding in fear if it could, the mere thought of adventuring causing panic to fill my body.

I swallow the lump gathering in my throat and whisper, "_Why__?_". Serana easily answers, "Because we need to **LIVE**! Settling down for the life of a farmer is called surviving, not living. Let's face it, you and I will die one day. We'll never know when or why, but we know we will. You could spend thousands of years as a farmer, but one day a psychotic murderer could ruin your entire plan. This world is dangerous, and even 'simple living' people have gotten murdered before. They way I see it, you have two options. Live as a farmer and get murdered, or live as a mercenary and die in battle. You're dead either way, but one of those lives isn't a waste. Besides, I've come to find that I'm beginning to deeply enjoy your company.". Our horses are stopped, nibbling grass along the roads.

I manage to squeak out, "You do?". I've developed a strong passion for her ever since we left the Soul Cairn, but I'd never imagine she'd return those feelings. Wait, does she? Can a creature of her beauty even notice someone like me? My friend in question nods her head, then begs, "Please, follow my plan. I don't want you to waste your life growing potatoes or making steel. Do as I say, and you could live. _Truly live! _Fighting, fucking, drinking, gambling, and adventuring. The entire world would be yours for the taking. Please.". Our knees are painfully pressed together, our steeds' sides brushing against one another.

I don't know how to answer, but I know what I want to say. I want to be brave, _truly _brave. I want to spit in the face of danger and take riches from the graves of dead kings. And, I know Serana is the woman who'll get me to do that. The only woman that's worth being brave for. I don't know how to respond to the woman, but find myself instinctively leaning forward. When I begin leaning forward I curse myself, realizing the mistake I've made. Serana's too good for me, she'll never feel the same way for me. However, my friend is the one to close the distance between us. I shut my eyes as our freezing lips meet, a sinewy hand working its way into my golden mane. I instantly freeze up, unaware of what to do. None of the whores who ever serviced me ever kissed me, so I'm clueless.

But Serana seems to at least know what to do, and happily leads me through the motions. She gingerly moves her lips against mine, teaching me what to do. I might not be the best kisser, but at least Serana doesn't pull away. Vampires don't need to breathe, but both of us still naturally break apart. My friend rests her forehead against mine, her red eyes burning through my blue ones. Serana allows a few moments to pass, then cautiously leans in to kiss me once again. I close the distance this time, Serana's hands still tangled in my mane. I bring my own hand to my friend's hips, making sure my claws don't shred anything or hurt my companion.

I inwardly sigh as I enjoy the kiss, neither of us feeling rushed to pull apart. The older woman keeps gently guiding me in what to do, the other vampire obviously at least more knowledgeable about kissing than I am. However, eventually both of us pull back. We rest our foreheads against each other, our horses beneath us beginning to bore. The first words Serana says are, "About damned time.". I let out a small chuckle and tell her, "I was afraid.". Serana still has her hand in my hair, but brings her other hand up to rub my cheek as she says, "Afraid of what? The worst I could do was rebuke you. You're afraid of dying, risks, and rejection. You need to learn how to live, not just survive. Forcing yourself out of bed each day to do something you hate is no way to spend a life.".

She slowly raises her head and kisses my forehead before saying, "But I'll have plenty of time to show you how to get the most out of life.". She nervously swallows and awkwardly asks, "That is, I'm assuming that's a yes to my plan?". My nod earns me another kiss, the woman obviously affectionate. When we're done kissing I tell her, "You're more open with expressing your fondness than I would have imagined.". Serana runs a finger down my jaw as she cockily states, "I have a few weeks to make up for.". I smirk, both of us silently leaning forward for another time.

However, our lips never meet. A sharp pain in my shoulder sends me tumbling from my steed, the horse rearing and bolting. The air is shoved from my lungs, my healing back screams in protest as its forced to bend around my bow, and the back of my skull gets friendly with a rock. I moan in pain, looking down at my flaring shoulder. A steel bolt is protruding from the flesh, black blood slowly seeping from the wound. I bite my tongue as I force myself up, already reaching for the bow on my back. My fingers manage to grasp onto it, but my other hand refuses to move. I roar in frustration, yanking the bolt from my shoulder. The serrated edges rip the wound open even more, blood splattering my torn armor. Damn. I hear fighting, and look over to see Serana fighting three members of The Dawnguard.

Fuck, I need to help. I manage to stumble to my feet, my head throbbing as the ground swings below my feet. I load an arrow, but my aim is unsteady. Serana's in trouble, but I don't need to accidentally hit her. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and release. Finally, I open my eyes and take aim once again. My arrow flies, successfully felling one member of The Dawnguard. One of the members keeps fighting Serana, but one turns and charges me. It takes two arrows, but he goes down to. I smirk and make my way over to Serana, the woman still mounted. She opens her mouth to say something, but the noise of a warhorn interrupts us. We both turn, looking up at the giant hill beside us. Ten members of The Dawngaurd are rushing down the hill, seven of them mounted. I can't help gulping. Not good. Definitely not good.


	18. The Escape

I remove my claws from their sheaths, widening my stance and preparing to fight. Suddenly, Serana grabs me by the back of my armor and heaves me in the air, her horse bolting away as her feet kick its sides. I'm hanging from Serana's arm, my feet almost brushing the ground. I quickly curl up my legs and tuck in my arms, my side banging against Serana's knee and the horse's side. I can't see where we're going because I'm facing backwards, but I sure as oblivion can see what's after us. The Dawnguard members are now on the road, thundering after us. An arrow shoots by me, nearly grazing my ear.

I gulp and yell over the wind, "Serana, you might want to go a little faster.". My companion hisses, "I'm trying, the damned horse is spooked and you're positioned weird.". Her fingers suddenly slip, and I let out a yelp of fear before Serana grabs me again. I quickly reach over, grabbing the saddle in a way that won't mess with Serana's riding. I curl my back, now my spine is positioned like a baby lying in a crib and curling its appendages. I awkwardly twist my head, looking down at the ground. All I see is pounding hooves that could crush in my skull, a hard and unforgiving road beneath them. Another arrow shoots by me, and I scream, "Pull me up!". Serana yells back, "No room! Hang on!". I do as she says, the woman urging her horse even faster.

I can't help watching the men and women that are chasing us, their horses slowly gaining. I have a sudden idea, and slowly release the saddle. I'm banging against the horse, but I'm able to get my bow from my back. I quickly grab an arrow from my quiver, carefully taking aim. I release my arrow, and blink in surprise when a horse goes down. It wasn't the one I was aiming for, but it worked out fine. One horse is out of the running, the rider won't be able to keep up with us on foot, and the rest of the group is keeping their distance. It takes me a moment to realize why, it's so they aren't within range of my arrows.

Damn it feels good to be feared by your enemies. I reload my bow, shooting an arrow high into the air. I watch it go in a gigantic arch, landing right where I was. Only the Dawnguard are there, and my arrow strikes a horse in the shoulder. I can't help laughing in delight, that was a complete shot in the dark! I thought it was going to simply hit the ground, I never thought it would actually work! The horse I shot doesn't go down, but he does buck his rider and run off. Two down, five to go. I suddenly feel a blast of cold air hit me, and look around at the snowy ground surrounding us. Looks like we're in Winterhold. Suddenly, Serana's arm shakes violently and she yells, "Grab onto the saddle!". I quickly do what she says, once again reminded of the pounding hooves below me.

I feel the ground slope below me, the horse beginning to pant as he tries to run up a hill. I have no idea where we're going, but I trust Serana to get us out of this. The horse's hooves clank on stone, and I look to my left and see grey stones piling up to the sky. I'm not sure what mountain this is, but we're going up it. The trail is thin and I'm banging against Serana's knee and the stone, but I have to simply take it. Serana has enough to focus on with saving our lives and guiding a panicking horse with one hand, not to mention she's been holding me up from the ground.

If she drops me, can't guide the horse, or falls off to the side, then we're fucked. There are five members of The Dawnguard charging after us, and they're gaining. I shove my foot in the stirrup beside Serana's, sink my fangs into Serana's pant leg, and release my hold from the saddle. I almost tumble to the ground, but Serana somehow manages to hang onto me. She screams in fright at my actions, but now I'm free to grab and load my bow. The members of The Dawnguard are forced to ride single file up the steep mountain, so I easily fire at the first one. I'm not sure how I managed it, but I hit the third horse in line. He screams in fear, and leaps from the mountain path. The screaming of man, screaming of horse, and _crunch _of bones mix in a horrible way. One down, four to go.

I reload once again, Serana's pant leg about to give out. I quickly fire, grabbing back onto the saddle just as Serana's pants _rip _in my teeth. I'll have to apologize later, the woman's pale leg is now revealed. However, it's worth in when one of the riders goes down. The rider flies down the mountain, the injured horse blocking the path. The horses behind him can't stop in time, one of them tumbling down the mountain. The third one manages to stay on the path, but the fourth one knocks it off the mountain. The last remaining rider curses, forcing his horse to jump over its injured companion.

I can't help laughing, the gigantic mess successfully causing three of the four riders to die. However, now the final rider is gaining on us. I yell, "I'm coming up!". Serana moves forward in the saddle, screaming back, "About damn time!". I hold in my chuckle and begin scrabbling up the horse's side, the beast screaming as I accidentally draw a small amount of blood. I manage to sit behind Serana, slowly and awkwardly turning around. I load another arrow, firing at the remaining rider. The man falls off his horse and tumbles down the mountain, joining his other companions. His horse awkwardly stops, turns around, and runs back down the trail. Serana slows the horse down and I flip back around, wrapping my arms around my companion as we ride.

I rest my head on Serana's shoulder, breathing on her neck. I whisper, "We're safe.". Serana gulps and says, "We're almost there.". I tighten my grip around her waist and ask, "You okay?". She nods and answers, "My arms are sore, but I'll survive. You okay?". I nod into her neck and she says, "That was some pretty damned good shooting back there.". I chuckle and answer, "Luck.". Serana brings one of her hands down to rub mine and asks, "Why do you think they were after us?". I shrug and answer, "We're vampire who're close to getting a bow that could protect us from the sun. It's obviously something they would want to prevent. They've probably been following us for a while, and have just now gotten the balls to attack us. We'd better not stop until Winterhold, their footmen still might be following us.".

Serana nods and urges the horse into a trot, still rubbing my hand with her own. We fall silent, my companion forced to focus on leading our horse down the mountain. It's hard and tricky work, both of us nearly falling out of the saddle multiple times. Finally, our horse is back on track. I ask my elder, "How much longer until we're there? I feel a storm coming on.". Serana easily answers, "Only half an hour or so, we'll be there before the storm hits. We might have to stay in the inn for the night, but we can go to the college in the morning.".

I nod into her shoulder, enjoying the ride. The brisk air awakens my senses, the horse beneath me steadily rocks me, the wondrous winter wonderland around me is alive with sights, and Serana's scent seems to invade my nose. I'd expect a vampire to smell like death and decay, but the woman pressed against me surprisingly smells of vanilla and lilac with a pinch of cinnamon. Maybe it's just because I'm another vampire, and a mortal would smell us and think of rotten and dead things. I truly don't know, and don't care. I allow myself to rest my head against Serana's neck, the woman finding a safe path and guiding her horse along it. I slowly begin to comfortably doze, but after a while my friend says, "We're here. I think.".

I look up and tell her, "We're here, what do you mean 'I think'?". Serana stops the horse at the edge of town and says, "This place use to be so big and wonderful, like Whiterun without the wall. What happened?". I dismount as I tell her, "Half of it fell into the ocean.". My friend dismounts, a disbelieving look on her face as she demands, "That's not funny. Tell me what really happened.". I look up at the sky to judge the time as I explain, "It's true, half of Winterhold really fell into the ocean. It never recovered. Now it's just this tiny place.". I judge the time and tell Serana, "Come on, let's get a room at the inn. The college is closed by now.".

Serana seems shocked at the news, but follows me to the inn. Serana has to pay for the room, but I manage to have enough money to buy us some beer. We go to our room, shut the door, and begin to drink our beer. I scratch my face and ask, "What should we do tomorrow?". My friend shrugs and answers, "Let's simply ask around the college and see where that gets us.". I nod in agreement, but then Serana clears her throat and says, "You kissed me.". I hold in my laughter and confirm, "I kissed you,". I decide to become a little romantic, and use an old line I heard my father use on my mother once, "and I'm about to do it again.". I lean forward and capture Serana's lips in my own, for once overcoming my self-consciousness and doubt.

My friend happily kisses back, and when we finally break apart she says, "Impressive.". I smirk and say, "I try.". Serana brings her hand up to wrap her arms around my neck, running one hand through my mane as she asks, "How long have you been waiting to do that?". I wrap my hands around her waist and answer, "A while.". Serana lets out a breathy chuckle and tells me, "Took you long enough. I was afraid I'd die of old age before you finally kissed me.". I bring my forehead against her and whisper, "In that case, it seems like I have some time to make up for.". Serana happily allows me to kiss her, our lips moving against one another.

I pull back and once again rest my forehead against hers, smiling at the woman. Her beautiful red orbs meet my own eyes, her beautiful smile beaming at me. Serana asks, "So, what's this mean for us?". I shrug and tell her, "I don't know. Courting?". Serana shrugs and says, "I don't know either.". My smirk widens and I tell her, "Let's not label this, let's just do what feels comfortable and natural. The only thing is we can't screw around with other people, and I don't think either of us are doing that.". Serana nods and agrees, "That sounds perfect.". She leans in for another kiss, but a howl from outside cuts it short. We both pull back, looking at the tiny window up in a corner of the room. I sigh and say, "The storm is here. Come on, we need to get into bed.".

I stand and dig around in the wardrobe, throwing a sleeping gown at Serana. We both quickly change, throwing our armor in the corner. We both climb into bed, wrapping the thick blanket around us. Serana wraps her arms around me, and asks, "You really want to take a nap? We don't need sleep.". I nuzzle up to her and say, "We could just relax and enjoy each others company.". My friend chuckles and says, "Seductress.". I chuckle back and tell her, "Not my fault.". The woman simply wraps her arms around me tighter, both of us simply enjoying one another's companionship as we slowly doze off.


	19. Septimus Singus

Vampires don't really sleep due to the fact we're walking corpses, but we can get to the halfway point. Both of us have stopped breathing, our diaphragms have stopped moving and the room is completely silent. It was somewhat shocking when I realized I didn't need to breathe, but it's not too surprising. Corpses don't need air to survive, so it makes sense that the action of inhaling and exhaling air would be useless to us. Serana's arms as still strongly wrapped around me, her hands coming to rest on my stomach. It's surprising that my friend is so giving and free with her signs of affection.

I'm not sure what I expected her to be, but it certainly wasn't this. Not that I'm going to complain any time soon. It's good to feel needed and appreciated. We lie together as the storm howls outside, the inn bustling as people flood into it. I feel Serana nuzzle the back of my neck, her cold nose rubbing against my neck. Then, we both go still as stone and everything seems to fall silent. The storm is howling and raging outside, but can't pierce the walls that surround us. After a few hours, Serana begins moving her hand again and whispers, "We need to feed.". I nod in agreement, my friend handing me the sack full of blood. We both take a few gulps, then go back to what we were doing. Nothing. Finally, the storm seems to die down. But both Serana and I know it's only temporary.

We get up, get ready to leave, and make our way out of the inn. The citizens look at us strange, but I ignore them and keep going. We both turn and begin walking towards the college, but I freeze at the bottom of the stone ramp. Serana keeps going up, but stops when she realizes I'm not with her. She turns around, bounds down to me, and asks, "What's wrong? Come on, we have to go.". I shake my head, walking past the ramp. I find myself stopping at the edge of the gigantic cliff where half of Winterhold fell off into the sea. I can't help looking down, the sight truly amazing.

Crystal water lapping at snowy grey stones, frost and snow glistening off everything. I feel Serana grab my elbow and hear her tell me, "Come on, we don't have time to explore.". I shake my head, a strange urge coming over me. I tell my companion, "No. We need to go there.". My friend questions me, "Where?". I find myself pointing out past the college, at the icebergs that are slamming together in the rough ocean sea. Serana turns me towards her, shakes her head, and asks, "Have you gone nuts? We're vampires, but who knows what's out there! Bears, tigers, monsters, and poachers! If they don't kill us, then we'll end up slipping into the water and freezing solid. Come on, to the college!". I shake my head, and do the stupidest thing I've ever done. I jump.

Serana screams as I go over the edge, but I land on a ledge only a few feet below. Serana is leaning over the cliff, snarling, "Get up here! You've lost your mind!". I shake my head without looking at her, leaning over the side of the ledge I'm standing on. I see another ledge to land on, and quickly leap down. Without thinking, I leap to a sliver of a ledge beside me, my feet barely able to find purchase on the snowy ground. I leap down again, continuing the pattern of jumping and scrabbling onto stones. I'm going in a diagonal pattern, the ground slowly getting closer to me. I hear screaming above me, and the fainest sound of footsteps.

However, I ignore them and keep jumping. Finally, my feet hit the frozen ground and crunch the ivory snow. I begin to walk towards the water, instinctively pointing my body where to go. Someone suddenly tackles me, and I look behind me to see Serana panting as she pins me. I begin squirming and say, "Let me go! We have to get the scroll!". Serana reluctantly gets off of me, but hangs onto my arm. She catches her breath and says, "You're right we need to get the scroll, but we'll find out how at the college! Not by wandering around in the middle of nowhere! Come on, we have to go back to the college.". I shake my head and beg, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing.". Serana tightens her grip, sighs, and asks, "Are you sure?".

I nod in confirmation, then begin tugging on her arm like a dog on a leash. Serana still looks uncertain, but releases me and says, "Lead the way.". I leap into the water, instantly rethinking my decision. My armor weighs me down, encouraging me to sink to the bottom of the water. I kick and flail, somehow breaching the water. I gasp and begin swimming, the water already getting rough due to the blizzard. I should have removed my armor, but then I'd be defenseless in any fight. The freezing waters attempt to crush me in their cold embrace, but I manage to keep kicking.

Eventually, my head hits an iceberg. My hands shoot out of the water, my gigantic claws sinking into the ice. I kick as fast as I can, but I can't get up. Then, the entire iceberg groans and heaves into the air as a tremendous wave picks the block of ice up. I scream in fear, the icy water punching me in the gut and causing me to lose my grip. I spin and twirl in the dark water, my eyes burning from the slightly salty liquid. I begin kicking and flailing as quickly as I can, and panic when I feel my hands hit solid ground. The bottom of this area of the sea. I flip around, swimming back up and releasing my breath. The bubbles of air float to the surface, but it doesn't matter. Air isn't needed for me to survive. However, I remember Serana saying that we can freeze solid. And, that she never said we died when we froze.

I feel my head hit something, and bring my hands up to feel a wall of solid ice. Not good, definitely not good. I begin looking around, desperately kicking in the direction I seem to come from. For once the gods seem to favor me, my head breaks the surface of the water. I hack up water, flipping around and finding another iceberg. I sink my claws in, and heave myself of. The sea has calmed for a short while, so I don't go tumbling off. I hear the sound of something flopping up beside me, and I instantly fear a horker is about to get a good dinner. But I turn my head and smile when I see Serana, the woman soaked and unhappy.

She crawls beside me, her arms shaking. She collapses and says, "Horrible idea.". I hack up water when I try to laugh, clear my throat, and tell her, "Come on.". I manage to get up of wobbly legs, sliding on the ice. I make sure not to raise my feet as I move, my shoes brushing snow off to reveal the shinning ice beneath my boots. I come to another iceberg, and carefully step onto it. I fall flat on my face, get up, and repeat the process. Serana follows me, but asks, "Where are we going?". I shrug, following where my gut tells me we should go. Finally, we reach a small island. Serana looks ready to celebrate, but I tell her, "We aren't there yet.". I begin walking along the shore of the island, a tower of rocks and ice in the middle of the small stretch of land.

I see the two wolves before they spot me, and I manage to hit one with an arrow. They both turn around, one with an arrow protruding from its side. Both of them roar, charging. Serana takes down one, and I shoot the other one at close range. Serana begins going on about how she was right of the dangers, but follows me as I keep walking. We reach the water again and I leap in, this time prepared for the struggle. I reach another field of icebergs, easily heaving myself up and beginning to run at full speed. I'm not sure what I'm running for or to, but I am. Suddenly, I see a boat up ahead. It's sitting on top of the ice, its side ripped out.

I approach it and find a small metal opening in the ice, covered by boards and ice. I kick the ice and snow away, and begin yanking at the boards. The wood is rotten and falls apart in my hand, the tunnel now revealed. Two torches are near the tunnel's mouth, but I ignore them and start to go down. Serana catches up to me just in time, putting her hand on my shoulder and growling, "You've gone mad! Come on, we're going to be lucky if we get back to the college before the storm hits.". I shake my head and tell her, "No, the college is not needed. This is the right way.". Serana hisses, "How do you know?!". I blink and answer, "I do. I just do. Something is telling me this is the right way, and deep down I know it is. Trust me.".

Serana sees the look on my face, and reluctantly lets me go. I slide into the tunnel, miss the first rung of the ladder, and fall down. I land with a solid _thump, _Serana swiftly coming down the ladder after me. She helps me up and hisses, "Now can we leave?". I shake my head, slowly going deeper into what I suspect is a cave. I turn around a bend and see warm light, and quickly bound down. I fly into empty air, plummeting to the ground below me. I curse and stand up, someone already approaching me. When I'm up I see a man in a robe looking at me, wringing his hands. Serana is in between us before either of us can say anything, snarling.

I put my hand on my friend's shoulder to calm her, questioning the man, "Who are you?". The man laughs, causing Serana to tense. When he's stopped laughing he whispers, "I am Septimus Signus, and I know why you are here. You wish to see into the hearts of the gods.". Before I can correct him he continues, "I have what you seek!". He shoves a cube and ball into my hands, saying, "Go to Alftand, go to the last room, enter Blackreach, and find what you are looking for.". I scoff and tell him, "I don't think you and I are looking for the same thing.". Septimus wrings his hands, shakes his head, and agrees, "We aren't, but you wish for the scroll. Bring me back the cube and ball once you have your scroll, and we both get what we want.".

I open my mouth to say _something, _to say _anything. _But Septimus is already pushing us out, hissing, "Be gone, the eyes in the dark see all and do not wish for creatures of the mighty one to be here.". We're pushed out into the snow, the ball and cube already safely in my pocket. Serana and I both stand up, Septimus in his cave already. Serana turns to me with awe in her eyes and asks, "How did you know to come here?". I shrug and tell her, "I don't know, but I know where Alftand is.". I begin walking and my friend follows me, asking, "How far away is it?". I sigh and answer, "Far.". We both fall silent as we continue our journey, the trail not near done.


	20. The Vampire Lord

**Serana POV:**

I stumble after my friend, the woman busying scrabbling up a hill of snow and ice. The blizzard is almost upon us, so I decide to speak to her while I still can. I leap up beside her, causing a small avalanche behind me. I shout over the wind, "I'm still concerned that you knew where to go.". My friend opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it and focuses on climbing when she almost tumbles down the hill. I don't blame her, a hidden rock could crack open a skull and be the end of her. After a few minutes, she manages to say, "I don't. I think it's a wonderful miracle. Let's just leave it be, nothing we do can change it.".

I'm still concerned. It's terrifying that my friend just knew where to go. She literally just pointed in a random direction, jumped into the ocean, and found a man who told her where to find a long lost scroll. If someone told me that story I would check their eyes for drug use. But the Khajiit isn't on drugs, and she seems to know where our next destination is. I have a bad feeling in my gut. How did she know where to go? She's never used magic, she had no idea where to go, and nobody told her. I find it all extremely concerning. I've read about things like this before, but they usually don't end well. The story is usually 'A malevolent Daedric Prince grants a mortal some amazing knowledge without them knowing, but demands payment later'.

But we haven't come into contact with any princes, so it can't be that. Can it? No, impossible. I push those thoughts to the side and scuttle up to the top of the hill, helping my friend conquer the snowy embankment. As we walk I ask, "Didn't we have a horse?". My friend freezes, slumps her shoulders, and whispers, "Damn it.". I pat her on the back, examine the next embankment, and tell her, "We'll find another horse.". She nods and begins climbing, but says, "I just feel like we went through a lot of trouble for nothing. Stealing that horse wasn't easy.". I climb right beside her, silence overtaking us.

However, I still need to know one important thing. When I have the chance I ask, "What are you going to do after this? Anything different now that things have changed?". I don't even need to elaborate what changed, we both know. The Khajiit is still climbing as she says, "I'm not sure what I want to do. I suppose I'll do anything, as long as it's with you.". I feel my hackles rise and instantly want to answer, 'Sappy.'. But I stop myself, there's no reason to raise my defense at a compliment. However, I do tell her, "Sweet.". The woman tells me, "I try.". The moment is ruined by her suddenly disappearing under the snow. She must have hit a giant air pocket. I carefully stick my head inside the medium sized hole, an unhappy and flustered Khajiit at the bottom.

I chuckle and lean down, extending my arms to her. The woman leaps up, latching onto my hands. I heave her up, and we once again resume our climb. As we climb I say, "I don't have any idea what I want to do once this is all over.". My friend offers, "Read up. A lot of stuff has happened since you've been gone. A lot of things could surprise you.". I scoff and ask, "What could surprise me?". The Khajiit thinks for a moment, then answers, "Well, you just found out Cyrodiil is an empire, so I have a pretty good one. Mehrunes Dagon's followers assassinated an emperor and his sons, started opening gates to Oblivion, and eventually summoned Mehrunes Dagon himself in the middle of the capital.".

I almost tumble down the mountain in shock, but I remain strong and ask, "What happened to stop Mehrunes Dagon?". My companion practically pants, "Some Khajiit with a green pelt.". I stumble, right myself, and ask, "Green?". My friend nods in confirmation and says, "Green. She has a statue in Bruma.". She seems to remember something from long ago as she says, "I remember when I was little I wanted to be like her.". We reach a place to rest and I ask, "What do you mean?". The Khajiit nervously kicks the ground as she mumbles, "Brave and strong.". I reach over and comfort her, telling her, "You just swam the length of a small lake because you had a gut feeling. You're brave.".

The woman still doesn't look convinced, so I raise her chin and gently lock my lips with hers. Is this the first timed we've kissed? I don't know, but I know I like it. When I pull back I rest my forehead against hers and tell her, "You're brave.". The woman simply closes her eyes, wrapping her arms around me. I follow her lead, the two of us wrapped in each other's embraces. Then, a cold wind whips us and we're reminded that a blizzard is coming. We both quickly begin climbing, but then I realize something. As we continue our journey I ask the woman, "You're from Bruma?".

The Khajiit shrugs and explains, "Cyrodill. My mother always feared war, so she constantly kept us on the move. Then, my father died and we were forced to settle down, but it was near The Imperial City.". I suddenly realize how little I know of the Khajiit, and how little she knows of me. Well, little is a relative term. We know a decent amount, but there's always more to learn. And I plan to, as soon as this quest is done. Or maybe during it. Whenever the chance presents itself. Finally, we reach the top of the mountain. The Khajiit collapses on her side, panting. Why is she panting? We don't need air to live. I decide not to question it, allowing the woman to recover. She stands up, and points at the gigantic dwemer ruin directly in front of us. Side by side, we both begin walking.

We find a few dead bandits outside, but that's it. The ruin doors creak as they're opened, rust showering down upon us. We both draw our weapons as we walk, and I'm aware that the woman's bow isn't a good choice for close range. Oh well, she doesn't know anything else. I freeze. She knows something else. I put down my weapon, stop the woman from moving, and ask, "Why haven't you been going into your vampiric lord form? You haven't gone into it even once, and it could have saved us time and energy multiple times.". The woman calmly puts her bow up, closes her eyes, and says every curse word I know.

In fact, I think there are a few new ones in there. Or the woman just comes up with words on the spot. When she's done she opens her eyes, shrugs, and says, "I'm an idiot. There's truly no other answer. My form could have done so much good. I completely forgot I even could turn into a vampiric lord.". I reach out, pat her on the shoulder, and comfort her by saying, "I completely forgot to. I feel as if we've come so far and missed so much opportunities.". The Khajiit nods and agrees, "We made a major mistake by not taking advantage of this.". I shrug and say, "Well, what are you gonna do? Nothing is too badly lost. Now come on, transform and let's raise some oblivion.". The woman nods and begins stripping right in front of me.

I instantly begin to stop her and say, "Whoa! Whoa there! What are you doing?". The woman looks confused as she answers, "I turn into a gigantic demonic creature, my armor would rip.". I realize the truth in her words, and allow her to continue. I try to look away at her naked body, but I can't help it. The temptation is too great, and I find myself eye fucking the woman. Her high tits reflect her youth, her thick golden pelt hiding the nipples I know are hidden beneath. However, her pelt thins out around her genitals for some reason. Her cunt still has a small amount of fur like the rest of her body, but I can see her tight pink slit that screams of a maid.

My entire being freezes up when the Khajiit ask, "What are you looking at?". I look up at her eyes, a playful look on the woman's face. Thank everything other worldly, I thought the woman was mad. The Khajiit throws her clothes at me, asking, "Can you carry those for me?". I nod, catching the bow she throws next. Finally, the woman is ready to transform. She crouches down, retching and beginning to spasm. I expect her to transform, but the woman falls to her side. I'm beside her in an instant, the woman doing a sickening dance on the floor. Her head _cracks _against the ground, and I quickly hold it. The Khajiit closes her eyes, but I catch a glimpse of the terror in them. Does she know what she's doing?!

Suddenly, the woman freezes up. I can hear her bones snapping, tendons ripping, and muscles tearing. She roars and curls up into a ball, gagging. With one final scream, the woman finally burst into her vampiric lord form. The woman slowly rises, towering over me. Her fur, tail, and mane have all fled her. Odd. My companion awkwardly stretches her wings, flapping one and then the other. I watch her examine her own feet, her knees now double jointed with the bottom joint facing backwards. She scratches the cold floor with her clawed feet, scratching deep gouges into the ice.

The woman shakes her gigantic grey head, her white hair flowing around her head. Then, I notice the rest of her body. Stone hard abs are nestled beneath her two perfect and slate colored tits, dusky nipples hardening in the freezing air. I find my eyes dropping down, her tight slit now grey and hairless. _Fuck. _Suddenly, the Khajiit makes a grunting and growling noise, pointing a massive hand towards the deep area of the cave. I shake my head and explain, "We need to get you some protection.". The vampire lord looks down, somehow just noticing her nakedness. She instantly covers her tits with her wings, using her hands to hide her slit. She turns her head away in embarrassment. I chuckle and say, "Don't worry, I'll think of something.". I hope.

* * *

><p><strong>I recently finished my other story, and now I need another one to write. I have four really good ideas I like, but feel free to tell me your own. So review or PM me with your opinions.<strong>

**Female Khajiit Dragonborn/Potema. Suspense and angst. This one will focus of what could have happened it the Dragonborn had been just a little slower, and gotten her throat slit. This one will involve magical and mental enslavement, necrophilia, BDSM, and nercormany. This will focus of Potema attempting to return to her former glory, with the undead Khajiit at her side. Any ending will be fucked up, but it could be 'good' or 'bad' on your perspective.**

**Female Khajiit Dragonborn/Elenwen. Suspense and romance (of the screwed up kind). Another sequel, but this time to _Disgusting. _This one will focus on Lydia's life without her thane, Delphine still attempting to 'help' the Dragonborn, the raising of the twins, the growing slave trade in the embassy, and Elenwen securing her slave. The ending is currently in the air.**

**Rigel Strong-Arm/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. A (screwed up) romance and adventure. This story is going to focus on a truly 'evil' Dragonborn. It'll just be like the Dragonborn got sick of being unappreciated in the holds, and decided crime was a better way to go. She decides to work below Rigel Strong-Arm (the leader of Pinewatch), and the story will go on from there. It'll involve a lot of murder, theft, and major crimes. This will be a romance, but more of a two villains falling in love. It'll have a happy ending.**

**Mjoll the Lioness or Lydia/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. Romance and adventure. A story following the Dragonborn's rise to power, with Mjoll/Lydia by her side. In this one the Khajiit will be a 'hero'. Destroying the Dark Brotherhood, refusing to join the Thieves Guild, and helping people. Ending in the air.**


	21. Ages Long Gone

I search for something to protect the woman, but all we have is her armor. I sigh and adjust the vampire armor, making some breast bindings and underwear. However, the rest of the armor won't fit her. I sigh and put the extra material in my bag, strapping the Khajiit's bow to my back. Then, I return to her and motion for her to turn around. I have her raise her arms and outstretch her wings, awkwardly putting the bindings over her tits. When it's secured I go around to her front, assisting the woman in adjusting her chest. It's extremely awkward for the both of us, but her hands are like clawed clubs.

All she can do is tear things apart and shoot spells. Finally, the woman is comfortable and has a little protection over her heart. Not to mention, her breast won't be hindering her fighting abilities. It only takes a few moments for the woman to get into her underpants. It's more for decency than protection, but it at least puts the woman at ease. And, her virgin slit isn't tempting me. A vague thought comes to mind, didn't the woman say she paid some whores to service her? She said only one of them did, but she didn't exactly give me any details. I can at least infer the woman didn't take the Khajiit's innocence, or didn't know how. My thoughts are stopped by a loud _hiss, _and a spider like metal contraption seeming to come out of nowhere and charging us.

It leaps at me, but a gigantic grey hand hits it in midair. The creature seems to explode, oil splattering both of us. I flick the substances off, bits of metal showering down around us. I look over at my friend, the woman's face awed and impressed. She shakes the goo from her hand, continuing to walk deeper in the ruin. Her gait is off and unnatural, but she doesn't seem to want to take to the air. It's not surprising. I've never seen her use a single spell that wasn't healing, and her clawed hands seem to do more damage than normal. As we keep going I tell her, "When I have the chance I'll try to find you some real robes, like my father has. Only better.".

The woman absentmindedly nods, adjusting her wings for more comfort as her clawed feet scratch the floor. Suddenly, another _hiss_ is heard. Another spider comes at us, leaping at my friend. She opens her jaws, sinking her fangs into the monster. She shakes her head like a dog with a rabbit in its mouth, metal flying and oil spraying everywhere. The vampire stops shaking her head, the metal creature in her jaws still twitching. My friend sinks her fangs deeper into the monster, electricity sparking and the creature giving one final twitch. The vampire lord drops the creature, spitting out oil, some mechanical fluid, and a small amount of her own blood. The woman keeps walking and I follow her, my friend snatching a handful of snow when we pass a pile.

She shoves the snow into her mouth and spits it out, ridding herself of the taste of the dwemer spider. We continue down the mighty ruins, but don't run into trouble for a while. When we do it's in the form of a gigantic metal man like machine, his arms like swords as he rides a metal ball. He slashes at both of us, forcing us to leap back. My companion roars and grabs onto his arms, snapping her jaws at his head. The monster lets lose a jet of steam, my friend howling in pain. I instantly leap onto the machine's back, grabbing some metal tubing and beginning to rip. My friend takes the opportunity to sink her fangs into his metal chest, gnawing away.

The metal beast falls, my friend quickly finding snow to rub on her wounds. Wordlessly, we both keep going. I can already tell this ruin is going to be deep and long. Not good. The bleak stone walls are wet and dirty, snow and ice is piled in every corridor, and metal rummage is everywhere. The air is freezing, the floor is slick, and it's slowly getting darker. It's a good thing we can see in the dark, or else we would be fighting blind. Suddenly, we hear someone talking ahead of us. My friend doesn't even falter, already preparing her claws to kill something. We come upon a hunched over Khajiit, a dead Khajiit beside him. The living one has a bottle of something in his hands, and screams when he sees us.

The man doesn't even hesitate to attack us, flying towards my friend. Her claw easily shreds his chest open, blood spewing everywhere. I move to leave, but my friend begins rummaging around in the two men's things. She takes three bottles of liquid, and puts them in my bag. I reach to look at them, but decide better of it and just follow my already walking friend. We continue in silence for a long while, the only noise those coming from machines throughout the ruin. We run into a few small enemies, but my companion easily takes care of them. Then, we run into real foes. Naked, pale, and disgusting human like creatures.

The falmer. My ice spikes and flames easily take care of them, and any that come within my companion's reach are ripped apart. We easily strut through the ruin, nothing standing in our way. We run into a few puzzles, and those take us a while to solve. I honestly can't remember the puzzles, they're too boring and tiring to even think about. And, I'm the only one who can solve them. My companion is obviously smart, but can't get her thoughts across in her current form. She can't even help do things, her hands are only good for mauling. Finally, we begin to reach the end of the ruin. We climb the stone steps, both of us worse for wear. My companion's chest armor is almost shredded, giving me a generous look at her breast. My own armor is dented and dirty, my cape long gone.

We reach the top of the steps, and the sight that greets us is horrible. A gigantic metal warrior is standing still, but begins to move when he sees us. I ready my magic, but my friend simply freezes. Her fanged mouth is open in shock, her black eyes focused on the gigantic creature that's gathering its bearings. I quickly tell her, "Come on, you can do this!". She shakes her head, one clawed foot moving backward. I hiss, "Don't run, he'll sense weakness.". Her clawed toes dig into the ice, and I see her shift her weight onto her back foot. Her wings begin to flutter, and her arms are shaking. I reach out, the dwarven monster still trying to get his rusted joints to move.

I quickly take her clawed hand in mine and promise, "You can do this. I know you can.". The vampire swallows, but stops getting ready to run away. She digs her claws into the ground, prepares her hands to fight, and starts to flap her wings. The dwarven warrior is now free, his metal head turning to find us. I get ready to throw a spike of ice at him, but a grey blur hits him before I can. My friend roars, latching onto the monster's breastplate. She sinks her fangs into the metal, her clawed hands and feet scratching his chest. Her wings are buffeting him, but he still stands firm. However, his weapons can't reach her. He lets lose a blast of hot steam, but it comes out a foot below the vampire. All the monster can do is flail his arms, my friend going to work on him.

Oil, fluids, and coolant are pouring from the mechanical marvel. My friend screams, grabs onto his chest plate, and begins flapping her wings are fast as she can. A deep groaning resonates around the room, and the golden armor _cracks _off its owner. My friend falls to the ground, the metal on top of her. In an instant I'm beside her, yanking her out from beneath the heavy metal. We both stand, looking at our naked opponent. Steam is pouring from the wires that run all over his body, gears and pumps are constantly moving, liquids are pouring and flowing everywhere, and springs are working inside of it.

The metal skeleton is tremendous, but offers no protection. My friend once again leaps, this time at the creature's naked gears. It's not that good of an idea. She rips at his naked gears, and boiling hot fluids and steam come pouring out at her. She screams in pain, but keeps ripping at the opponent. She rips out springs, gears, and pumps. The monster slowly tries to attack, but collapses while his innards are ripped out. My friend comes from the rubble, large areas of her skin covered in red welts and inflamed with heat. I quickly go to her, already preparing the single healing spell I know. The Khajiit shakes her head and tries to back away, but her leg buckles and she falls to one knee. Even kneeling she's still taller than me.

I take the opportunity to cast my spell, my friend's skin slowly healing. She doesn't look pleased that I've used magic on her, but she doesn't fight back. When we're both healed I begin walking, my friend beside me. How long have we been down here? How many more falmer and dwemer contraptions can one ruin have? We've passed through multiple puzzles, slain a multitude of enemies, and gotten lost more than once. It's like the maze never ends. Is that possible? A maze that constantly keeps expanding, never an end to be found. Sounds like something a daedric prince would do. I know I'd do it if I was a prince.

My friend and I come to a square pedestal, a hole in the middle. My friend grabs her body, then freezes and growls in anger. I sigh and ask, "You left the cube and sphere at the start didn't you?". She nods, not meeting my eyes. I sigh and turn around, telling her, "Stay.". It takes me hours, but I finally have what we need and am back. I can't believe the woman forgot her things, they were just lying on the floor. Oh well, complaining didn't make the walk any shorter. My friend smiles when she sees me, but looks ashamed. I pat her on the shoulder and tell her, "Don't worry, everyone screws up once in a while. The worst thing that happened is my legs are sore.". The Khajiit looks greatly relieved.

I walk over and move to put the sphere in the hole, but two figures appear from behind the stone pillars. They both begin blabbering at one another, but I simply look at my friend and mouth, 'How long were they there?'. She shrugs and I shake my head, the two people still talking. I put the sphere in the hole, a staircase revealed. My friend and I quickly do down, opening a door and walking through it. We shut and lock the door behind us, then stare dumbfound at the world around us. It's like another planet, the cave roof so far up that clouds are able to form inside. Glowing plants, strange lighting, and majestic sights greet us wherever we look. I pat my friend's back and tell her, "Come on, we have a scroll to find.".

* * *

><p><strong>I've considered what work to do next, and have settled on the PotemaDovahkiin one. Although after _A New Order _is over, I'll seriously consider writing a sequel to _Disgusting. _But for right now be on the lookout for _The Wolf Queen's Bitch._**


	22. The Scroll

We're barely down the stairs before an arrow hits the rock beside us, and we look up to see a metal man rolling towards us. I raise my hands to fight, but my friend has another plan. She grabs me, picks me up bridal style, and flies away as quick as she can. She zooms right by the man, but he can't hit her. I wrap my arms around her thick neck, the speed taking my breath away. Damn, she goes a _lot _faster than I thought she could. I try to look around, but I get sick watching the world swerve by us. So, I look up at my friend. Her face is set in a look of determination and strain, the muscles in her shoulders and neck tensing as she beats her wings.

I look at the moving appendages, and realize how tired she must be already. Her wings are pumping up and down at an incredible pace, her muscles flexing and relaxing at an amazing speed. Suddenly, she stops flapping one of her wings and stretches it out as far as she can. I quickly find out why. A group of machines is up ahead, weapons drawn and ready. The woman's maneuver causes us to stop, and face another way. We come to rest a few feet away from the monsters, the vampire lord still hovering in the air. She quickly pumps her other wing, repeats the maneuver, and flies away as quickly as she can. She did all of this very quickly, getting around the enemies before they could hurt us.

I can't help being impressed, doing that couldn't have been easy. Suddenly, my friend stops, cocks her head, and grumbles something nobody but my father could understand. I blink and tell her, "I don't. I can't-". She quickly puts me down, goes back to her mortal form rather easily, and asks, "Where are we going?". I open my mouth to answer, freeze, and close it. I think a minute, then shrug and say, "I don't know. Do you have a map?". My friend shakes her head and says, "No, and a map wouldn't do us any good. I'd need a map of Blackreach, and I doubt anyone has that.".

I think for a moment, then dare to ask, "Do you have a spell that could lead us to it?". My friend gives me a look like I've grown two heads and answers, "A spell that takes us specifically to an Elder Scroll? If that was a spell, then every historian would be here. Well, their skeletons would be.". I rub my chin and explain, "I mean a spell that could lead to your truest desire, what you truly want.". The Khajiit shakes her head and says, "It would lead to you, but I don't even have a spell like that.". I suddenly realize the woman is naked, well _almost _naked. The armor doesn't fit her at all. Her breast bindings are hanging off of her tits, and her undergarments are down to her knees. I cough, look away in embarrassment, and motion at her lack of clothing. The Khajiit simply scoffs.

I look at her and see she's shaking her head as she says, "That's not important, you'll see me naked sooner or later. Now, how do we know where to go?". I splutter at the insinuation that I would eventually see her naked, but stop myself. Would it be so bad if I eventually see her naked, well _more _naked. Would I want her to see _me_ naked? I realize the Khajiit is looking at me, idly playing with her breast bindings as she waits for me to speak. I clear my throat and ask, "Are you sure there's no way we know where we're going?".

The woman sighs and says, "What do you want? A magic trail to show us where to go? Some higher power to show us where to go? A path drawn on a map we don't even have? A dog showing us the way? We don't have _any_ of that. Now, get ready.". She walks over to me, about to pick me up. I stop her and question her, "What are you doing? How are we gonna find the scroll?". My friend shrugs and says, "Wander around and enjoy each other's company.". I open my mouth to argue, but I honestly can't think of a better plan. So, I allow my friend to transform and pick me up. She considers her options, seems to choose a random direction, and begins flying. The terrain doesn't seem to bother her. She flies over the ground, water, and occasional dip in the landscape. A few enemies see us, but my friend simply avoids them or takes a detour.

We pass a giant, a fort, and multiple smaller buildings. My friend seems to have no direction, going wherever pleases her. Finally, she finds a bridge she crosses. She opens the door and goes inside, still carrying me. She rushes through a few rooms, but runs into what appears to be a solid bronze wall. She puts me down, transforms back, and begins walking around. I'm barely looking around when she whistles, and I follow the noise to see her walking up some stairs. I quickly follow her, and we stop in front of another dwarven puzzle thing. Five covered buttons, one square opening to the side, and a gigantic _thing _in front of us.

My friend forces the cube into place, and two buttons uncover themselves. My friend begins randomly hitting them as fast and hard as she can, stopping when another one reveals itself. The _thing _in front of us is doing stuff, but my friend is only concerned with the buttons. She hits the new one, and another one uncovers. She hits that one, and the last one uncovers. She all but punches it, and the _thing _in front of us groans and opens up. We both see the scroll, but have different reactions. I stand there in awe, but my friend launches herself from where we are. I scream in shock, but she hits the ground and thunders towards the scroll. I take the stairs, my friend snatching up the scroll and looking around like she expects an enemy to try to take it. I can't say I blame her.

When I'm near her I tell her, "Great work! Now, let's get back to Harkon.". She nods, looks around, and heads for the nearest door. She doesn't go back for the cube the crazy man gave her. I quickly follow her, the woman opening the door and stepping onto a lift. She pulls the lever and the floor comes to life, carrying us up. My friend shakes her head in disbelief and says, "I can't believe these things still work.". I nod in agreement, the floor stopping and cold winds washing over us. I open the door for the Khajiit, and she walks through. Once we're both outside my friend turns to me, and hands me the scroll. I freeze and ask, "Are you sure?".

Handing me the scroll shows a tremendous amount of trust. I could kill her now, return to my father, and claim all of the glory. Or I could do even worse to her. I'm not sure what could be worse, but I could do it. I feel the scroll pushed harder into my hands, and look at my friend as she nods. I smile and take the scroll, telling my companion, "Thank you.". The woman smiles back. We both begin to walk and I tell her, "Come on, back to the castle!". I walk a few feet before I realize my friend isn't following me, and I turn around to see her collapsed in the snow. I rush towards her, kneeling beside her. I touch her stomach, but nearly leap back when she lets out a scream of despair. I allow her to wail for a few minutes. When she's done, I lie down beside her.

I reach over and our hands find one another's. I wait a few minutes, then ask, "What's wrong?". She sighs and answers, "How much longer until this is over? I just want all of this to be done.". I bring my other hand over and begin tracing patterns on her skin as I tell her, "We're almost done, don't worry.". My friend simply lies there as she asks, "How do you know?". I shrug and respond, "It has to be. We take the scrolls to the priest, he reads them, we go get the bow, and we kill Harkon. Simple as that.". The Khajiit uncomfortably shifts and mumbles, "It doesn't sound that simple.".

I keep tracing patterns as I assure her, "I want this to be over just as quick as you do, but we have to work to get that.". The woman nods, but doesn't get up. I scoot over to her and ask, "You want to take a break?". She shakes her head and answers, "We took a break in Whiterun.". I scoot closer and counter, "There's nothing wrong with breaks. Breaks are good, they make sure we don't go mad from working.". My traveling friend scoots over to me, nuzzling up to my breast. I slowly take her in my arms, both of us looking up at the sky as snow slowly floats down upon us. The cool air washes over us, the ground and snow surrounding us freezing. It's a good thing we're already dead, I don't think a living creature could survive long out here.

We both halt our breathing, snuggling up close together. I dare to bring my hand up to the Khajiit's head, stroking her mane. She sighs in approval, her eyes fluttering shut as snowflakes drift down to kiss them. I tentatively lean over and kiss her, the woman instantly kissing me back. Our lips slowly move together, and I gather the courage to lightly and quickly lick her bottom lip. I expect her to pull away, but instead she opens her mouth and turns her head to deepen the kiss. I keep one hand on the back of her head, but bring the other one to rest on her hip.

The Khajiit wraps her arms around my middle, snow beginning to cover us in a freezing blanket that would kill anything else. For once I'm glad I don't need to breathe. I don't have to pull away from the woman to breathe, or pant through my nose and try to keep the kiss going. I can focus purely on the Khajiit, and the wonderful things her lips are doing to mine. I carefully and slowly move my hand from the woman's hip to her stomach, gingerly bringing it up to cup her tit through her ill fitting armor. The woman doesn't protest, deepening the kiss even more. The snow is beginning to pile on top of us, covering our heads in a cold shield. Neither of us mind, simply enjoy one another. Our fangs painfully _cling _together, and I feel her lip slice open beneath my razor sharp tooth. I instantly pull back, vile black blood filling both of our mouths.

I break through the shield of ice, both of us sitting up. My friend grasps her bleeding lip, and I quickly scoop up some ice and put it on the wound. After a few minutes, the wound ceases to bleed. I stand and offer my friend my hand, helping her up once she takes it. We begin walking back to the castle. As we start our journey I ask, "Feel better?". My friend nods, but she still looks glum. I reach over and put my arm around her shoulder, holding her close to me as we walk.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I'm sorry about the longer than normal wait, preparations for Día de Muertos took longer than I thought they would. I promise the next chapter will be out faster than normal.<strong>


	23. Cold and Lost

As we walk I ask my Khajiit friend, "What's bothering you?". She shakes her head and mumbles, "Nothing.". I pull her closer and assure her, "You can tell me anything. You trust me to have both of the scrolls, so you can trust me with your thoughts. Now, what's on your mind?". The woman snuggles up closer to me and admits, "I'm afraid. What if we can't take your father? What if he wins and we become just two skulls adorning the cells of the thralls?". That image is honestly concerning and unnerving, but I force myself to remain calm as I answer, "He can't take us, and if things go bad we'll run. There's no shame in living to fight another day.".

"The only thing that could bring us shame is giving up, and we aren't going to do that.". My friend's eyes look to the ground, and I know she's thinking of what she just did in the snow. I don't bring it up, there's no reason to upset the woman or discourage her. We find the main road and begin to walk down it, my companion still wrapped in my arm. I allow us to walk in silence for a little while, then a thought hits me and I can't help asking the woman, "Did you truly want to become a vampire? My father threatened to snap your neck, so I know you didn't have much of a choice in the matter.". The Khajiit doesn't answer for a long while, but just when I think she isn't going to she clears her throat and speaks.

"No. But I wanted a lot of different things back then, and I'm glad I didn't get any of them.". My curiosity gets the better of me and I question, "What did you want?". My friend shrugs and says, "I wanted to do what my mother did. Find a safe place to live, get an average job, marry someone who's just like me, and eventually pop out enough kids that my bloodline won't die out.". I don't think before I say, "That sounds like a horrible life. Nothing different, no chance of excitement, and never experiencing new things.". As soon as I've said the words, I remember the Khajiit implied that's how her mother lived her life.

Somehow, I don't think insulting a woman's mother is the way to her heart. However, the Khajiit simply shrugs and agrees, "She never did act pleased with her life. She always went on about how she could have had one more kid if dad hadn't died, or how she could have sold more merchandise if she'd made me help her when I was little. She even complained that if my brother had been a girl, then she would have been able to open a real store and not just a stand.". I nervously and cautiously ask, "Did?". My friend sadly nods and explains, "The disease that claimed dad and my brother did her in. I'm not even sure how she caught it, she never went outside for the last few months of her life. All she did was eat, sleep, and scream at me not to go outside.".

I reach my hand over and place it on the woman's elbow as I console her, "I'm certain she only wanted to keep you safe.". The woman shrugs like it couldn't matter, but I know it does. I decide to lighten the mood by telling her, "At least your life won't end up like that, and you have me.". She seems to perk up as she says, "Yes, I have you.". She leans her head on my shoulder, and I see the outline of a city up ahead. We continue to walk in silence until the woman asks, "What were your mother and father like before they were vampires?". I suppose I should have been preparing myself since I've been learning about the woman, but I'm still not ready.

What can I tell her that won't scare her away? I think for a moment, then tell her, "They were different, but not much better. My mother and I use to be close, but eventually she grew too busy for me and we were forced apart. My father and I never truly got along, but it was at least better back then.". The woman thinks for a moment, then asks a completely unexpected question, "Did you want to become a vampire?". I slow my stride, but answer honestly, "I don't know. I like being a vampire now that I am one, but it's all I've known for quite a while.". I'm suddenly reminded of what the Khajiit answered to that same question, and leap on her answer by asking, "Why did you become a vampire if you didn't want to be?".

A sudden gust of wind interrupts the conversation, but eventually she answers, "Life.". I hold in my small chuckle and counter her answer by saying, "I wouldn't have let my father kill you, not even back then. Besides, he was probably bluffing.". A contemplating look comes over the woman's face and she shakes her head as she says, "It's a little too late to tell me that, the deed is done and I'm eternally damned.". I open my mouth to assure her there might be a cure, but for some reason I can't bring myself to say the words. Why would I tell her of a cure?

I'm not going to cure my vampirism any time soon, and I can't be in a relationship with her if she's human. That would be like a starving wolf trying to have a relationship with a bloody cut of beef. It's a miracle she got me back to the castle without becoming a midnight snack. So, I close my jaws and don't say anything. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, if she does find out there's a cure, then I can always pretend I never knew about it. Either way, I don't think she'd become a human again. She doesn't have to worry about natural death, she's becoming more courageous, and she can be with me until one of us is killed. It's perfect. However, the look on my friend's face tells me she's thinking about something. I want to ask something, but she looks lost in thought.

We reach the town in silence, but walk right on through. I'm not sure what the town's name is, but it's pathetically small. Only ten houses and a inn, and the only living thing is a chicken shivering underneath a porch. We don't see any guards or citizens, and we make it through without incident. My friend suddenly asks, "Can I have my stuff back?". It suddenly occurs to me she's still wearing the vampiric lord armor, and it barely covers her parts. I quickly give her back her normal armor (after I fix it back to normal), her bow, and her arrows. My friend thanks me and we resume walking, my arm wrapping around the woman's shoulders.

It's far from a comfortable stride, our hips are slamming together and we're forcing our bodies together. It's been like this all the while, but I'm just now noticing it. I need to pay more attention, death comes to those who don't pay attention to the world around them. As we walk my Khajiit companion ask, "Where are we going?". I freeze, sigh, and admit, "I have no idea what direction we set off in.". My friend sighs and says, "Look for a sign.". I nod in agreement, and we both keep walking. We find a sign soon enough and rush over to it. My friend shakes her head and tells me, "We're heading towards Whiterun. We need to turn around.". We both groan, turn around, and resume our walk.

I apologize, "Sorry, I thought we were going the right way.". The woman brushes it off and says, "It's fine, we need to get a map.". I scoff and ask, "Do you know how big a map of Skyrim would be?". The Khajiit counters, "I'd rather lug around a big map than get lost again.". I pat her arm and promise, "I'll buy one as soon as we find a store that sells them.". We both fall silent, snow still falling from the sky and landing on us. We're dead so we can't feel the cold, but I look over and realize what the Khajiit looks like. Frost and snow cover her entire body, turning her into some frozen monster from the deepest part of Skyrim's arctic tundra.

I must look the same, my eyelids and eyelashes the only things protecting my eyes from becoming balls of ice. We pass through the town once again, the chicken now frozen and dead. We ignore it and pass through the tiny town, continuing down the disappearing road. It takes us hours to reach the shoreline, and by then the storm is hitting us full force. We're weighed down by the ice and snow clinging to our clothes, and we can't find the boat that would carry us to the castle. My Khajiit friend suddenly curses, and points out towards the sea. I look and see the tiny boat being slammed against some rocks, and groan as its side is ripped out and it slowly sinks. I shake my head and scream over the storm, "Now what?!".

My friend shrugs and yells, "Swim.". I prepare to scream for her to stop, to tell her to just use her vampire lord form to fly over the water. But I don't have the chance, the woman disappears in the water before I can even reach her. Damn it, that's the second time she's done that! I quickly dive in after her, keeping my eyes open under the freezing waves. I see the Khajiit already swimming away as quickly as she can, her pelt floating out around her. I kick and flail my arms, but I've never been a strong swimmer. All I can do is hold my unneeded breath, silently hoping the Khajiit doesn't get too far ahead of me.

But she does, and eventually I have no idea where I'm going. I kick up to the surface, gasping and screaming my friend's name. A wave strikes me and forces me under, hail and ice hitting the surface of the water. I look around the water, and think I see the faintest sign of shore in a certain direction. I quickly kick and flail, and finally see the blurriest outline of the Khajiit. When I finally burst from the water I'm on the banks of the island the castle is on, the Khajiit washed up a few feet away from me. I crawl over, collapse near her, and gasp, "Never. Again.". She nods in agreement, but she's already agreed once before. After a few minutes, we stand and make our way into the castle. Thankfully, the storm can't follow us inside the ancient building.

We wander around the building looking for the Moth Priest, and thankfully don't run into my father. We find the man sitting in a random room, a thick cloth wrapped around his eyes. I take the scrolls from my back, holding them out to him as my friend gets his attention. She taps his shoulder and says, "Dexion, we have the scrolls.". The man swivels his head towards her and says, "I'm sorry, I'm of no help. I didn't prepare myself for the first scroll, and have gone blind as a result.". My eyes widen and I'm certain I'm snarling at the man's stupidity. But my friend keeps her calm as she confirms, "So, you can't read the scrolls?".

He shakes his head and says, "No, I can't. However, I can give you the means to read them.". My friend nods before remembering he's blind and commanding, "Speak.". The man clears his throat and says, "In an ancient and long forgotten grove near Falkreath, there is a tree thousand of years old. Take the ceremonial knife located in the grove, rip some bark from the tree, and go around the grove. Hundreds of moths swarm there, and are attracted to the bark. They'll swarm around you, then go stand in the center of the grove where the sun shines down. Finally, read the scroll and learn where to go.". Fuck, he's insane. However, my friend nods and thanks him. We both silently walk away, but my friend tells me, "Ancient groves and hundreds of bugs. Sounds like fun.". I nod in mock agreement, already regretting letting Dexion live.


	24. Unseen Visions

My friend and I slowly ride along, a stolen horse beneath us. It was the largest one in the stables of Solitude, but not the fastest. He's apparently meant to work in the field, his thick shoulders meant for pulling a plow and not running miles at a time. The Khajiit is the one leading him, and I simply have my arms tied around her waist. We've been riding for hours, and left the snows of the north long behind us. We've also passed the plains of Whiterun, and are now entering the thick forest that makes up Falkreath. I slowly rest my head against my friend's shoulder, closing my eyes and allowing the horse's movements to rock me asleep.

I'm woken up by wind snapping my hair, and the screams of my friend and our horse. My eyes snap open and I see the world whizzing by me. I open my mouth and join the screaming, looking down and seeing the ground rushing up to us. Suddenly, my friend grabs onto my hands and I feel her push off the horse. Her skin burst apart in midair, her armor ripping apart as she flips me around her and wraps me in her arms. I keep screaming even though my friend has stopped, and I see our horse hit the ground far below. A gigantic puddle of blood sprays everywhere, and our horse seems to bust apart into a thousand pieces. However, my friend and I have stopped plummeting to the ground. I look over my shoulder and see my friend flapping her wings, slowing our descent.

She flies us away from the horse's body, and I finally stop screaming when we've touched the ground. My friend quickly changes back, and curses at the armor that barely covers her cunt and tits. I look over at the mess our horse made and ask, "What happened?!". The woman tries to repair her armor as she explains, "I must have dozed. It was just so peaceful, and I loved the feeling of your arms around me. I feel asleep, and when I woke up five wolves were chasing us. The horse was hurt and terrified, he wouldn't even let me calm him down. I tried to draw my bow and kill the beasts, but the wolves were moving too fast.".

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't wake up, you must be the heaviest sleeper in all of Skyrim. Anyway, before I knew it the horse ran off the cliff.". I shake my head in disbelief and say, "Damn everything.". She nods in agreement. After a few minutes, she has her armored repaired to her liking and says, "Okay, let's go.". I hum my agreement, but ask, "Where is this 'grove'?". The other woman sighs and points straight up above us, right where the horse ran off. I groan, but begin looking for a path. However, my friend has different plans. She charges at the wall, leaps, and grabs onto the stones. She kicks her legs, manages to get a foothold, and climbs a few feet higher. I chuckle and yell up to her, "You're going to break your neck!".

The Khajiit screams back, "I'll get to the top first!". I quickly accept her challenge, looking for the path up to the grove. It takes me a long while, but eventually I find a small footpath leading up the steep mountain. The path is overgrown and almost completely covered in grass, but I somehow manage to follow it. Finally, I reach where the Khajiit pointed at. I look over the ledge and see the Khajiit is only halfway up the mountain, struggling to find a way to keep going higher. I sit down and allow my legs to hang over the edge of the stone, screaming down, "Having fun?". The Khajiit yells back, "Either help me or take a flying leap!".

I laugh, then advise the woman, "Take the path!". My friend roars, "NEVER!". She keeps scrabbling up the stones, but doesn't get any closer. I sigh and lie back down on the stone, idly watching the sun. It takes an hour or so, but eventually I see the exhausted woman drag herself over the top of the cliff. She crawls over so she's lying beside me, panting besides the fact she doesn't need to breathe. I sit up and ask, "Ready to go?". A groan is my answer, but the Khajiit manages to push herself up and hobble towards the path. I get up and follow her, the Khajiit easily finding a cave. She rushes into the cave and I quickly follow her, darkness briefly engulfing me before I activate my ability to see in the dark.

My friend is limping along in front of me, tired from her ineffective way of getting to the cave. We walk over a log bridge and enter the promised grove. I suppose it's beautiful, but we don't take it in. Instead, we simply trudge down the stone steps and find the promised tree. My friend takes the knife, angrily chops off some bark, takes the tree's skin, and begins storming around the grove. I'm glad she did this part, I despise bugs. The Khajiit returns swarmed by moths, an angry expression on her face. She tosses the knife into the water, takes the Elder Scrolls from me, stands in the light, and reads the scrolls.

All of the anger disappears from her face, a look of aw overcoming it. Her eyes begin to fog over, her jaw drops in an idiotic expression, and her knees begin to wobbling. Suddenly, she drops both of the scrolls. I quickly rush over to her, rip the bark from her pocket, and throw it away. The moths happily follow it, and I wrap my arms around the other woman. I say her name a few times, and eventually the fog disappears and she looks at me. I open my mouth to say something, but she interrupts me by whispering, "I know where the bow is.". Before I know what I'm doing, I wrap her in my arms, heave her into the air, and spin her around like I've seen couples do so many times before. When I put her down she picks up the scrolls, once again handing them to me.

We both begin to leave the grove, but something interrupts us. Five members of The Dawnguard and an armored troll come running down the steps, screaming at us. We both sigh, tired of their antics. I take out three of the warriors with spikes of ice, and the troll falls to a well-aimed arrow to the eye. The other two members try to disappear into the grove, but an ice spike and arrow take them out. We don't bother searching the bodies, simply leaving the grove. As we leave my friend says, "Well, looks like we're almost done. Maybe. I pray.". I link our arms together and tell her, "Hopefully, then all of this will be over.".

We both fall silent, but my friend suddenly ask, "Do you want to destroy The Dawngaurd after we kill your father? I'm kind of sick of them always popping up and attacking us.". I shrug and answer, "Maybe, if you think we can. Do you think we're strong enough?". The Khajiit easily answers, "I _know_ you are, and I think I can be of some help to you.". I rub her arm and tell her, "If you want to destroy them, then I'll help you. I'd help you do almost anything if it made you happy.". The Khajiit smiles and rest her head against my shoulder, telling me, "You can be so romantic if you wish to be.". I smile and say, "I try.". We both fall silent, but begin to come closer to one another. It's almost wonderfully peaceful.

Just the Khajiit and I walking through nature, getting as close together as we can get. The world is silent around us, the night slowly settling in upon the world. We both practically moan when the sun is gone, our strength returning. We continue to walk in silence, but I hear the low growl of the Khajiit's stomach. I look over and see her red eyes are a thin pink, her ivory fangs are touching her chin, and her golden fur is almost white. She _must_ be starving. I pull my wine skin from my belt, and feel how light it is. Damn it, I'll need to get blood in the next town. But for now I pass it to the Khajiit, the woman greedily drinking it down.

When she's done she hands it back to me, and I put the skin back on my belt. The woman looks _much_ healthier now. Her pelt is once again spun gold, her fangs only come to the bottom of her lips, and her eyes are red like mortal blood. I examine the woman for a little while longer and take in her beauty, but after I almost trip in a ditch I decide I need to once again focus on walking. Everything is quite and the walk out of the forest is uneventful, and now we're walking along the plains of Whiterun. The grass waves in the wind and we go over a rushing river, up into the mountains that'll take us back to the mountains of Solitude. It suddenly occurs to me I have no idea where we're going, so I ask the Khajiit.

The woman easily says, "Near Solitude.". I groan and say, "We've probably walked over a hundred miles, and we've been going around the same area!". The Khajiit easily nods. When I feel the conversation dying I decide to revive it by asking, "Why did you join The Dawnguard?". The woman thinks for a few moments, then answers, "Power. I wanted to become powerful, no longer fear what I normally do, and do something with my life. I wanted money, power, and guts.". I stroke her arm and ask, "Are you happy with what you've got?". The Khajiit smirks and happily tells me, "Yes. Guts, power, and a beautiful vampire by my side.".

"Immortal life isn't bad, but I don't care how long my life is.". This takes me by surprise and I question her, "Why don't you care how long your life is?". She absentmindedly shrugs and tells me, "Quality over quantity. I would rather spend ten years with you than a million years alone.". I fall silent at her words, unaware of how to react to the compliment. The air is now freezing, the mountains around us topped with snow. I squint and swear I can see the light of Solitude in the distance, but that might just be my imagination. If I'm being honest it probably is. We just keep walking. And walking. And walking. Damn this is boring. I wish something interesting would happen, but I also enjoy that we don't have to worry that we're about to die. I suppose that's just the constant internal battle of the traveler of Skyrim.

I'm not sure how long we walk, the scenery never changing. If I was alone I'd be worried that I'd become paranoid from all of this quite, but the Khajiit is what keeps me calm. Whenever I think I hear a sound or think I see something moving in the underbrush, I turn to the woman. Her calm demeanor and almost bored expression set me at ease. If something was following us I'm certain the woman would hear it, her Khajiit ears would surely pick something up. So, the walk just keeps going. And going. And going. I almost moan in relief when the woman halts, points up towards a distance snowy mountaintop, and says, "There we go.". I sigh when I realize how far away it is, but after I get over it I say, "Let's go get a magic bow.". The Khajiit nods in agreement, and we resume our almost endless walk.


	25. Almost There

**Dovahkiin POV:**

Serana and I enter the cave, go down a small path, and cross a bridge. I open my mouth to say something, but the bridge collapses. I scream as I'm forced underwater, gurgling and kicking. Finally, I surface. Serana splashes up beside me, and I hear the clicking of frostbite spiders. Serana takes care of them as I recover. I slowly stand and keep walking, my friend following me. We find two dead bodies and Serana mentions how horrible the sight is, but we both just walk by it. We enter a large cavern in the cave, a small lake filling up most of the room. A troll snarls at us, but we manage to avoid it. Damn this is boring. Then, we see a pale man standing up ahead.

Serana and I look at each other, shrug, and Serana takes the lead as I walk behind her. The man blinks when we approach him, introducing himself to us. I don't even pay attention to the conversation, but pick up a few things. He's an ancient snow elf, he wants our help, blah blah blah blah. Finally, he stops speaking and becomes useful. The man walks over to an altar, uses a spell on it, and a small shrine like thing rises from the ground. The snow elf hands me a pitcher and blabbers on about something. I take some water from the pool inside the altar, put the pitcher in a safe place on my person, and examine the alter. I see a small portal, turn to Serana who's just walked in, and ask, "Ready?". When she nods I step through the portal.

* * *

><p>I almost instantly want to flee when we enter the cave, the sounds of far-off enemies greeting us. But knowing Serana is watching me gives me the ability to fake courage, and I force myself to keep walking. The dark cave twists and turns, claustrophobia setting in. I begin to breathe heavy despite the fact I don't need to breathe, my chest heavy and my hands shaking as they hold my bow. An arrow is ready to fire, but no enemies come at us. That's what worries me the most. I can hear the unseen enemies slowly crawling around the cave, but I can't find a single trace of them.<p>

Since I can't find them they could be anywhere, waiting to strike out and kill me. Serana is the only thing that keeps me from panicking, her presence calming me as we slowly make our way through the cave. Finally, we spot our first enemy. A falmer stumbles towards us, grumbling and dragging his mace behind him. My arrow finds his skull before he can do any real damage, but his dying groan alerts his fellows. An entire hoard of falmer come rushing at us and I feel my feet twitch, begging me to run away as fast as I can and never return. But then I see Serana begin to fight the monsters, and I know I could never leave her. I begin firing as quickly as I can, as if the fate of all of Skyrim rested upon my shoulders. I suppose it really does, but I try not to think that hard about it.

Falmer begin dropping left and right, but there's always two more to take every dead one's place. Serana eventually runs out of magicka, and is forced to fight the enemies with a dagger. That's when I remember I'm a vampire lord. I really need to remember that, it could save our lives multiple times. The monsters briefly pause as I transform, but then they once again attack full force. My claws and fangs are ready for them. I begin slashing left and right, snapping my gigantic fangs whenever I get the chance. The disgusting creatures' blood splatters everywhere, leaks into my mouth, and stains my thin coat of fur. Ugh, I'll need to bathe before I face Harkon.

Eventually, the tide of monsters subside. Serana and I both take a small rest, and I quickly transform back. I don't even bother to try to fix my armor, allowing the fabric to loosely hang from my body. Serana slowly gets up and says, "Come on, let's get going. A magic bow's waiting for us.". I nod and follow her lead, picking up my bow and loading it. The cave continues to twist and turn, leading us up and down. We fight our way through what seems to be a thousand falmer camps, multiple dark cave rooms (even our vampire sight can't help us), and even pass through a waterfall or two. Our enemies include falmer, gigantic flying bugs, and tremendous crawling bugs. I'm not longer terrified, I'm just too tired to be.

Finally, we reach what appears to be a cave wall. I'm about to turn around and look for another way, but Serana stops me and points at the wall. A few ropes are hanging there, and I realize what I need to do. I step over the skeleton of the last person who made it this far, pulling a cord at random. Rocks fall from a trap far above our heads, nearly crushing Serana. I mumble an apology, the other vampire too tired to even nod. The cave was longer than I can even describe in words, there were enemies every step of the way, and we occasionally got lost along the way. Not even the best adventurer in Skyrim would think this was fun.

I'm even certain the heroes of old would get tired going through this cave. I pull another cord, sighing in relief when the stone wall slowly goes up. A glowing saber cat roaring at me is what greets me, but an arrow to the eye stops him from leaping at me. I walk into the lighted area of the cave, Serana closely following me. I don't even bother taking the intended path, simply stumbling off the side of a cliff and landing on my front. I groan as I hear the growl of a saber cat, and look up to see a glowing predator gnawing on a glowing deer. I kill the giant cat, stripping them of their skins while I wait for Serana. Serana comes down the intended path, every step screaming her tiredness and unwillingness to go on.

Finally, we're both together and ready to go. We slowly stumble up the stone path, Serana practically leaning on my shoulder. When we reach our destination a ghost greets us, a grin splitting his face as he ask, "Are you ready to-". I snarl, "Yes!". The man looks stunned, but simply turns and casts a spell upon another altar or wayshrine or whatever that guy called it. The second I can fit, I shove my way into the small room and gather more water in the pitcher and carefully put it back where it won't spill. Serana makes her way beside me, motioning at the next portal.

I sigh and step through it, the uncomfortable feeling of teleporting and magicka once again overtaking me. I'm now standing in what appears to be a small cave, the opening up top. My friend pats me on the shoulder, making me aware of her presence. We both silently walk up the stone path, finally reaching moonlight. I walk over to a small cliff, and can't help gasping at the sight. A beautiful landscape is stretched out before me. Gleaming snowy grounds, a few frost kissed trees, and frozen flowers of every kind. I hear a gasp from beside me, and Serana whispers, "It's beautiful. I'm glad you could be here with me.". Our hands find each other's, and we're suddenly standing closer than we were a minute ago. We both seem to turn our heads at the same time, our tiredness brushed to the side.

Our freezing lips touch and we both seem to sigh, relaxing against one another. When we pull back we rest our foreheads against one another, my eyes slowly opening to meet hers. The woman smiles and mournfully says, "I wish we didn't have to keep going.". I squeeze her hand and agree, "I do to.". We just stand there for a few moments, but eventually we pull back and acknowledge we have to keep finding the wayshrines. We clamber down the rocks, stopping and deciding where to go. In the end I spin in a circle, stop in a random direction, and begin walking.

Serana follows me, but complains, "Do you know how we're going to find all of the four other wayshrines? We aren't. They're scattered all around and we have no idea where to go. We're meant to die. Nothing else, this quest is just a mask for two murders. And-". She stops speaking when we reach the pearly wayshrine, another ghost waiting for us. As I climb up to it my friend composes herself and ask, "How in oblivion did you know where to go?! I'm highly concerned.". I sigh and ask, "Why?". Instantly, Serana tells me, "It's weird. You knew where the guy that showed us where the scroll was lived, you found the scroll almost effortlessly in Blackreach, and you just _happen _to find this wayshrine in less than a minute? It's creepy and concerning.". As I near the wayshrine I tell her, "I know it is, but we'd better just accept it. Besides, it helps us.".

We stop talking as we near the ghost, the man beginning to speak. Before his speech is done I snarl, "Yes!". The ghost looks shocked, but simply blinks and uses a spell on the shrine. I get more water, the pitcher becoming heavy. It's hard to keep it from spilling since it's tied to my waist, but I don't want to carry it yet. Carrying it is too much work, and I'll probably just end up dropping it and losing all the water. Once we're done here, I once again begin walking. I choose a random direction, the path leading up into a small mountain path. A few frostbite spiders try to attack us, but we easily take care of them. It's surprising to me that I'm able to fight them, a few months ago they were one of my biggest fear. It looks like I've come a long way. I feel pride swelling up in my chest at the thought. I'm getting better.

Slowly but surely I'm getting better. We pass through the tiny mountain pass, a swift river greeting us. We begin to walk along the banks, another wayshrine not too far along. Serana and I playfully race to it, but the other woman easily wins. By the time we reach the shrine we're laughing at our behavior, but both of us quiet down as we approach the next ghostly figure. I just scream, "Yes!". The man doesn't even have the time to ask his question. He looks a little upset, but turns and performs his spell. I quickly take the water, my arms straining under the weight of the water.

I tie it back to my waist, taking Serana's arm as we continue our walk. We pass a gigantic icy giant, a flowing river, go up some stairs, and across a small part of a frozen lake. We keep going up more stairs, the air around us getting thin. We see the next shrine a ways away, so we speed up our pace. We go across a shallow river and up a small icy hill, another ghost happily greeting us.

He sees the look on our faces and doesn't even bother asking, turning around and instantly casting his spell on the wayshrine. I gather some water in the pitcher, my arms nearly buckling under the weight. Serana has to take it from me, the older vampire significantly stronger than me. I prepare to leave the area, but turn to the ghost and ask, "Where is the next shrine?". He blinks before answering, "Through a maze of falmer and their creatures.". He points in a direction, Serana and I sighing in unison. We both begin walking, our journey hopefully almost over.


	26. Touching the Sky

**Serana POV:**

I can feel the tiredness consuming us, and I can't do a damned thing to stop it. I don't remember when we started our journey, but we must have been gone for weeks. Oblivion, we might have left the castle months ago for all I know! At least I know nobody else has been able to get this far. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if we got all the way through this, and found out one of my father's lackeys had gotten to the bow first. I probably would have tried to destroy the castle in my rage. It suddenly occurs to me I still need to fight my father. I'm almost dead on my feet (ha) and I still need to take down one of the most powerful vampires in history.

My friend suddenly curses and I'm reminded I'm not alone in my struggle. I look over at the Khajiit, the woman trying to restring her bow. Another thought hits me like a wagon. We're going to go get a magic bow. My friend's only method of fighting is with a bow. And, from what I've seen she's an amazing shot. Maybe this fight with Harkon will be a _little_ easier than I thought. A few arrows in his flesh will slow him down. Or kill him. Either one. If only my friend doesn't run away or piss herself. I consider the woman one of the most important people to me, but she spooks at the slightest sound. She's gotten a _lot_ better since I first met her, but I'm still not sure she's completely ready to take on my father.

My thoughts are interrupted by my friend halting, slowly raising her bow, and firing. I follow the arrow and see it enter a falmer's skull, the creature gagging as it falls into the fast flowing river. I blink in surprise and suddenly realize that our surroundings have changed. We're entering a small pass, two frozen glaciers on either side of us. A fast flowing stream is dominating our path, the stony shores slink with the constant spray of water hitting it. Now a small area of the stream is running red, the falmer's body swiftly splashing by us. I look up to see my friend is crouching down, her bow loaded and ready.

I quickly follow her lead and get down to the ground, scrabbling after her. She's stopped at a bend in the pass, and I stick my head over her shoulder to get a view at what she's looking at. Primitive houses are built into the side of the ice, made of gigantic insect shells and disgusting cloth. The falmer and their creatures are swarming over the entire place, and it's easy to tell this is where the creatures live. It's clear why the Khajiit stopped, there are far too many of them to fight. However, she slowly draws back the string of her bow. I'm about to give her a word of warning to stop her, but she lets the arrow fly before I can do anything. A falmer falls from the top house, his body landing beside one of his fellows. Every single creature is chattering in a panic, but they can't seem to locate us. Perfect.

The woman quickly fires again and again, each shot adding to the body count. I also notice the Khajiit does something rather strange before she lets each arrow fly. She kisses each projectile, loads it, and fires. I'll have to ask her about it when she isn't killing falmer. And, that time comes soon enough. The final falmer falls in the stream, that area of the water now the color of blood. My companion quickly rises and walks over to the falmer closest to use, ripping the bloody arrow from his back. I follow her lead, but ask her a question as she collects her arrows, "Why do you kiss your arrows before you fire?".

The Khajiit rips another arrow from a falmer as she answers, "Good luck. Some ancient hunters use to do it to honor Hircine. It was said that those hunters always caught the fattest prey, never ran into predators, and their aim was always true. I don't want any fat prey or predator deterrent at the moment, but I can always use my aim being a little truer than normal.". I chuckle and tell her, "That's rather ironic considering you're a creature of Molag Bal.". She chuckles with me, but assures me, "I'll do my rituals, and I don't care what daedric prince made my species. Whatever works works, and I'm not going to complain if Hircine decides to assist me a little. I can use all the help I can get.". Then, she gathers up the last of her arrows.

Once she has them all she goes over to the water, dunking the projectiles in the water to free them of blood. She dunks them a few more times to make sure they're clean, then returns them to her quiver. When she stands I follow her, the woman leading me up into the falmer houses above us. She finds a rickety bridge, but instantly crouches back down. Once the enemies ahead are dead she resumes walking, leading me into a small glacial cave. The temperature instantly drops, and my friend gets into the crouching position, slowly stalking forward. I open my mouth to question what she's doing, but quiet down once she pulls an arrow from her back.

It's like watching a painter finish the work of art that will get him noticed. My friend pulls the arrows from her back one at a time, loads them, and releases her weapons all in one smooth motion. She hardly moves the bow to take aim, her movements calm and natural. Damn, why didn't I get her a bow sooner? She's even deadlier than she is in her vampire lord form. My Khajiit friend never rises from her crouching position, but leans forward the tiniest bit to hit enemies that are out of her original range. Finally, the woman stands and tells me, "All clear.". She confidently struts out, leading me over rickety rope bridges and slippery ice ledges. She plucks out her arrows as she goes, but is unable to clean them.

We keep going along, but everything seems to follow the same pattern. My friend clears an area of enemies, goes through, and crouches down to examine the next area. It's like a constant pattern, but it doesn't have an end in sight. Finally, we reach the end of the cave. We exit into a place that looks like a maze of falmer houses, but we ignore them and go up the long and narrow tunnel path. When we exit the path we see the wayshrine, the final ghost waiting for us. We both charge over, the man already casting his spell before we reach him. I launch myself inside, gathering the final amount of water in the pitcher.

Then, we both exit and I snarl at the ghost, "Where do we go now?!". He quickly points to the left, and we look over to see a gigantic castle awaiting us. The path is short and we both pound down it, stopping when we reach another sort of alter. I quickly realize what we're meant to do, and dump the water into it. The water flows into the lock of the gigantic door, the lock slowly coming undone. We both walk through the door at the same time, never bothering to even look at our surroundings. We just keep going, turn around when we get stopped at dead ends, and pushing through any doors that are closed. Frozen creatures litter the place, but we don't touch a single one. If I'm being honest they sort of freak me out.

We find a sort of ledge that we jump from, turning and entering what appears to be a large throne room. A single figure is sitting on the seat, tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair. When we enter he turns his sights on my friend, smirks, and booms, "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow? You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me. Which, I'm sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end!". The frozen creatures that litter his chambers seem to burst apart, screaming and running at us. The creatures are pinkish, have red eyes, and their flesh is steaming in the cold air.

We strike without waiting. My friend has become a sort of animal, using her claws to batter the frozen monsters apart. I use my magic, but when one gets too close I use my dagger on them. When they're defeated the man laughs and says, "An impressive display, but a wasted effort. You delay nothing but your own deaths!". Suddenly, I hear a cracking noise. I look up and see parts of the ceiling beginning to fall away. I quickly yell, "He's bringing down the ceiling, watch out!". I dodge a portion of the falling ceiling, and hear the man scream, "Finish them!". The frozen falmer begin to erupt, all of them charging at us to try to rip out our throats. The fighting starts once again, worse than ever.

When the enemies begin to ease the man screams, "This has gone on long enough!". A frost atronach appears, and my friend instantly leaps at it. I go back to focusing on the falmer coming at me. As I fight I yell back, "Your life will end today, here and now!". The pale elf throws his head back, laughs, and snarls, "Child, my life ended long before you were born!". My friend finally slashed the atronach across the face and it burst apart, and I finish stabbing the last falmer. We both face the man, and I hear the fear in his voice as he practically whispers, "No... I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations...". I scoff and demand, "Surrender.".

He shakes his head and growls, "Death first!". He roars and cast some sort of strange spell, the room around us beginning to shake. Then, most of the room seems to collapse. I scream and dive out of the way of a falling chunk of roof. Vyrthur the elf quickly turns and runs through the now open area where the wall use to be. I begin to follow him, then freeze when I realize my friend isn't bounding after me. I turn and see she's trapped under a piece of the roof that fell, her entire lower half obscured from view. In an instant I'm at her side, grasping her face and checking for signs of life. Well, vampire life. Old age can't kill us, but gigantic chunks of stone can easily smash us into a disgusting mush.

Thankfully, when I pull her from the rubble her lower half is fine. I see her blinking and tell her, "Come on. We can do this. He's on the balcony. We can take him.". The woman shakes her head, and I see her pupils dilate. Her skin seems to rip apart as she transforms, becoming a vampire lord. She stands and begins rushing towards where Vyrthur ran away, and I follow her as best as I can. I find her standing in front of the panting elf, both of them waiting for me. When I get to the elf I snarl, "Enough, Vyrthur. Give us the bow!". He shakes his head and growls, "How dare you. I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl. I had the ears of a god!".

I shake my head and say, "Until the "Betrayed" corrupted you. Yes, yes. We've heard this sad story.". The man laughs before saying, "Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, Serana. You tell me what I am.". I look into the man's eyes, freeze, and realize, "You're... you're a vampire? But Auriel should have protected you...". The elf growls, "The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me. I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter what the cost.". I scoff, "You want to take revenge... on a god?". He nods and says, "Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow.".

I realize what he's saying, grab him, and snarl, "The blood of a vampire... Auriel's Bow... It... it was you? You created that prophecy?!". He smiles as he snarls, "A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient... the blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour.". I show my fangs as I tell him, "You were waiting... all this time for someone with my blood to come along. Well, too bad for you... I intend on keeping it. Let's see if your blood has any power to it!". I open my mouth to tear his throat out, but the man has recovered enough of his strength to fight. He roars and cast some spell, knocking me away.

I slam into the ground and hear the sounds of fighting. When I rise I see my friend is locked in battle with the man we came to kill, swinging her clawed hands like giant maces. Vyrthur is barely able to hold her off, using his gauntlets as a sort of shield. I gather my magic, focus it, and fire. My friend screams and blood spews from her side, a shard of ice buried in between her ribs. The elf laughs as my friend desperately yanks at the ice, blood pooling around her feet. Vyrthur takes the chance and grabs the woman, yanking on her. Her feet slip in the blood, the elf grabs the struggling woman, and promptly flings her over his shoulder. The female vampire hits the stone railing, breaking it and continuing her forced flight.

My friend manages to grab onto the floor, hanging off the edge of the cliff and transforming back into her Khajiit form. Vyrthur blocks my path, my naked friend barely hanging onto the ledge. The man laughs, opens his arms, and snarls, "Come on, let's see if your fangs are as sharp as your words!". I reach out for my magicka, and feel my empty supply. I instantly swallow my spit in fear. My friend is about to fall to her death, I'm out of ammunition, and I have an ancient vampire sizing me up. I'm fucked.


	27. Auriel's Bow

The man lunges for me, his palms glowing with magic. I fake dodging to the left, then yank to the right and sprint past him. I grab onto my friend's arms, trying to yank her up. The Khajiit's eyes widen and she yells, "Serana, be-". I feel someone shove me off the ledge, and feel myself begin tumbling through the air. I shove my hands out, and the gods seem to smile on me for once. My hands garb onto the Khajiit's legs, and I stop falling. Now I'm looking out over the vale, and when I look down I see the ground hundreds of feet below me. My friend sighs and finishes, "hind you. Behind you.". I cough and say, "Thanks. Really helpful.".

I can practically feel the woman shake her head as she ask, "You really want your last words to be sarcastic?". Before I can answer Vyrthur interrupts us by saying, "I still need the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbor, but the prophecy never says it can't be scooped up from the ice. It'll be a little hard to avoid the Khajiit blood, but I think I'll manage.". I carefully release the woman's left foot, place my right hand on her right foot, and do the opposite thing to my other hand. Now I'm facing the cliff's face, and I'm able to look up and see Vyrthur. He has a sick grin on his face as he raises his foot, bringing it down on my friend's hand. She screams in pain, but doesn't let go. I feel her trying to move her legs, and grab onto her tail instead.

The reaction is instant as the Khajiit screams, "**MOTHERFUCKER!**". She begins kicking like mad, her claws scrabbling on the rocks in front of us. Vyrthur shakes his head and says, "A shame, but I'm growing bored.". He pulls a wicked blade from his pocket, raises it, and sinks it into my friend's hand. She's roaring even louder, the man above us casually flicking her wounded hand away from the cliff ledge. A mad grin comes over his face as he says, "Oh! I think I'll cut off the rest of your fingers! Add a little fun to this!". An idea hits me, and I quickly put it into action. I grab onto the Khajiit's hips (one hand at a time), yank myself up her body, and repeat.

I do it carefully and at a steady pace, the elf above us never noticing as he plays with his blade to intimidate us. However, I have to act fast when he finally begins trying to saw off my companion's fingers. I take a deep breath and gather the muscles in my legs, pushing off and up from the Khajiit. Vyrthur has no idea what hits him, my momentum causing me to crash into him. He's lying there shocked, but I can't kill him. I quickly turn around, grab my friend, and yank her up beside me. We both grasp one another, quickly scuttling away from the ledge. By now the man is up and ready, magicka glowing in his hands. I prepare to fight, but before I can do anything my friend is flying towards him. It's like releasing a lion on a sheep. Her claws scratch at his armor, leaving large gashes in the metal.

That's the least painful thing that happens. She bites at his throat, turning his neck into stringy meat. Her claws shred the exposed area of his arms and face, tearing him apart. His thick black blood is spewing everywhere. When the woman stops the man is long dead, his face a bloody pulp. I go over to the naked Khajiit, and notice her tail has an odd kink in it. When she turns back to me I cough, motion at her injuries, and ask, "Are you okay?". She shakes her head as she collects herself, telling me, "My hand is fine, but you broke my tail.". I open my mouth to say something sarcastic, but hold it in and ask, "You can break a tail?".

She nods and explains, "It'll be fine, I've broken it twice before. It'll just be sore. Honestly, I'm just glad you didn't pull it off.". My eyes widen and I whisper, "You can pull a tail off?". The Khajiit nods and answers, "Easily. It's not that thick.". She waves off the rest of the tail business, smiles, and says, "We did it.". I look at the bloody body of Vyrthur and realize what she said is true. I turn to her, smile, open my arms, and practically scream, "WE DID IT!". The vampire rushes to me, capturing me in her arms. We hug and begin to sway back and forth, both of us laughing as we celebrate. When we stop we notice a new alter in the small courtyard below the balcony, and quickly rush down to it. The ghost that originally greeted us is there, smiling at us. I have a small conversation with him, but all I care about is the bow.

Finally, the man says a final line, disappears, and the bow appears inside the altar. I move to get it, then realize there's someone else with me. I turn to the Khajiit, and see her looking longingly at the bow. Damn, I forgot what this must be to her. She's a pure archer, and this is the best bow in Skyrim. It would destroy her if I took it, and I couldn't even use it properly. I reach out, place my hand on her shoulder, and whisper, "Go. Take it.". She swallows and ask, "Are you sure?". I nod and promise, "You deserve it.". She slowly walks through, her orchish bow forgotten somewhere when she transformed. She slowly reaches out, takes the weapon, and turns to me.

She practically moans and says, "We did it. Now all we have to do is-". She stops speaking, apparently just now aware of what she's saying. I finish her sentence, "Kill my father.". The Khajiit nods and says, "But we need arrows, and according to Vyrthur the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbor.". I tap my veins and say, "One down, one to go.". She nods and says, "I think I can find my iron arrows.". I shake my head and say, "No way. I want elven arrows. I'm not going to bleed on any old thing.". The woman laughs before saying, "Good one, now help me find my arrows.". When she sees my expression she whines, "You're serious?! You care what arrows you bleed on?!". I nod and demand, "Elven arrows. Nothing else.".

The Khajiit groans, but agrees, "I'll find some damned elven arrows, but I want you to know I think your request is absolutely ridiculous.". I nod and tell her, "I don't care what you think, as long as you do it.". The woman opens her mouth to say something, stops, smiles, and announces, "We did it! We trudged through oblivion and back, but we did it! We got a magic bow that wasn't suppose to exist!". When she comes over to me I trap her in my arms, kissing her. I'm suddenly reminded she's naked, her wounds have stopped bleeding, we're alone, and she's a virgin (I'm assuming). An animalistic urge to conquer the woman comes over me.

To feel myself take something away from her that society says is so important, see her below me as I pound into her already sore cunt, and hear her beg and whimper as I bring her to her twentieth peak of pleasure. I begin to resist the urges, then question myself. We're grown adults, we're romantically involved, and we might die. Why shouldn't I get to fuck her at least once? I decide to take the chance. If she wants to fuck me, then I'll spread her legs on the snowy ground and lick her cunt until she's screaming. The Khajiit pulls back from the kiss, and I instantly dive back again. This time I funnel my emotions into it. I make sure the kiss is feral and dominating, forcing my tongue into the woman's mouth as I bring one of my hands up to her tit.

The Khajiit gasps in surprise, but allows me to slowly lie her on the ground and place the bow in a safe place. I easily climb on top of her, attempting to make myself appear bigger. I'm not sure why, but I'm running on instincts right now. And, all of my instincts are telling me to fuck the Khajiit until she can't walk right. I think I can do that. I pull away from the kiss, shove open her legs, and put my head between her thighs. Her cunt is freezing, but somehow wet. I'm not fully educated on the vampire anatomy, and I don't particularly care at this moment. As I begin to slowly lick her cunt, I put my hands on her tits and begin playing with them.

I want to be as rough with her as I can, but I remind myself I'm dealing with a young and innocent Khajiit. So, I make sure to be gentle in my movements. I tease her nipples, occasionally squeezing on her breasts to stimulate her. Whatever I'm doing is working, the woman wetter than ever. I focus on the nub above her entrance, nibbling and sucking on it. I don't even go near her entrance, my chin hitting it the only stimulation I'm getting. The fur around her mound is surprisingly short, so it doesn't stop me when I begin to teasingly lick her cunt. The woman is hissing, her clawed hands coming down to wind in my hair. I can't help smirking at the Khajiit's actions, pleased that I'm at least good at what I'm doing.

I quickly get sick of teasing her, my own entrance wet and dripping. So, I go back to nibbling on her nub while I remove one hand from her tits, bringing it down to use my fingers to trace her entrance. The woman quietly hisses, "_Fuck me!_". I hold in my chuckle as I spear her entrance, my long sinewy fingers reaching into her depths as my fangs scrape the tiny nub of flesh above her entrance. I feel her legs wrap around me, her hands still wrapped in my hair. Her broken tail is pushed off to the side, but I can swear I see it twitching. I realize I'm still grabbing her tit with my unoccupied hand, and begin to once again fiddle with the flesh.

My fingers go as far as I can inside the woman, and I begin to twist them and thrust into the woman. I also begin to be rougher with the nub above her entrance, yearning to take the woman to the peak of her pleasure. It takes a quite a few moments, but eventually I feel her cunt begin to flutter around my fingers. I instantly redouble my efforts, the woman sighing in content when her cunt finally begins to spasm. I slowly halt my actions, give the woman a few seconds to catch her breath, and instantly go back to fucking her as hard as I can. I was gentle the first time, but now I'm certain she can take whatever I give her. I roughly pound my fingers into her weeping cunt, claw at her tit, and all but chew on her nub.

The woman's legs tense and relax as the Khajiit's hands tighten in my hair, the woman occasionally letting out light and wispy moans and gasps. Eventually I long to claim the woman even more than I already am, to look into her face as I fuck her. So, I increase the speed and strength of my fingers, but release her nub and slink up her body. I continue to play with her tit as I look down at her, making sure to tower over her as I pound into her cunt. Her eyes are rolled back in her skull, her mouth open as she pants for air she doesn't need.

I lean forward and roughly capture her in a kiss, dominating her mouth and trying to fuck her even harder than before (a nearly impossible task). The Khajiit is shifting in pleasure below me, attempting to get even closer to me. Our bodies are already pushed against one another, her rough fur scratching my skin. Suddenly, I feel her cunt begin to violently spasm. The woman breaks the kiss to groan in pleasure, her eyes glazed. I prepare to fuck her again, but the woman shakes her head and groans, "No more.". I can't say I blame her, I can see the large purple bruises appearing on her tits and pelvis. I must have been fucking her extremely hard, it's nearly impossible to make a vampire bruise. My ego and pride instantly swell at the thought that I claimed her so thoroughly that she's slightly hurt.

I slowly remove my fingers from her, the woman's muscles giving one last spasm. I remove my hand from her tit and roll off of her, lying on the floor beside her and wrapping her in my arms. The animalistic part of me is satisfied at claiming her so harshly, and my more human side is pleased that I started out gentle. The Khajiit nestles up to me and promises, "Give me a moment to catch my breath, and I'll return the amazing fucking you just gave me.". I smirk and lean my head down to nuzzle the top of her head. We both fall silent as we enjoy one another, snow beginning to slowly fall around us as we cuddle.


	28. Elven Arrows

After a few minutes of snuggling, I feel the Khajiit remove my armor and a rough tongue scrapes my nipple. I can't help shivering when she takes the flesh in her mouth. I sigh in content when she begins to suckle the tit's flesh, her hands slowly coming down to rub my waist. I push off the snow blanket that's surrounded us to free our bodies to fuck. The Khajiit smiles as she begins to slowly open her mouth wider, taking even more of my flesh into her mouth. She begins to flip me over so she's on top of me, and I feel her teeth suddenly sink into my flesh. I moan at the pain, the woman awakening the animalistic side of me.

However, I manage to keep that side of me in control as the vampire on top of me begins to go to work. She spreads my legs, laps at the tit between her teeth, and lets a low growl rumble from her chest. Eventually she brings her other hand into the mix and fiddles with the nub above my entrance. I'm already dripping when her fingers seek out my entrance, slowly sinking into me. I sigh in content, but quickly realize the woman will need a little guidance in how to please a woman. I thrust my hips in a certain way to assist her, bringing my hand down to show her how to play with my nub. My friend gets the general idea and follows my lead. After a few moments, I remove my hand and trust that the woman knows what to do. I'm surprisingly not disappointed.

Her long and clawed fingers slowly sink into me, her jaw tightens even more, and her rough tongue scratches against my nipple. I sigh in content and whisper encouragements to the woman currently pleasuring me. The Khajiit is still learning how to pleasure a woman, but she's actually quite good for her first time with a woman that isn't a whore. The Khajiit slowly begins to increase her pace, fucking me harder than before. I let out a low groan of approval and whisper, "Harder. Faster.". My friend does what I want her to, beginning to slowly bring me to my peak.

Her fingers scrape against my insides, her mouth begins to practically maul my tit, and her other hand is roughly rubbing against my sensitive nub. I bring one hand up to play with my neglected breast, and my other hand winds itself in the Khajiit's mane. Soon enough I let out a noise of approval as my cunt begins to spasm, the Khajiit oblivious to what's happening as she continues to fuck me at the same pace. I never correct her, instead letting her fuck me right on through my peak. I plan on stopping her once the muscles in my cunt stop twitching, but I find myself groaning as the Khajiit begins to bring me to a second crescendo of pleasure. And a third. And fourth. It's only after the fourth spasms of pleasure subside I decide I've had enough, and tell my friend, "Enough! Enough, you've done more than amazing!".

The Khajiit pulls back, and I cringe when I hear her _pop _her jaw back into place. Then, she blinks at me and ask, "Are you sure? I didn't think you-". I interrupt her by nodding and saying, "Yes! Yes, you were amazing!". I pull her up beside me, wrapping her in my arms. I nuzzle her head and say, "You were amazing.". My friend nervously ask, "Really?". I nod and promise, "You did great.". We both smile and go back to snuggling, both of us satisfied. However, after a little bit I tell her, "We need to get going. My father isn't going to kill himself.". She nods and we untangle ourselves from one another, but only I can get dressed.

The Khajiit's armor was shredded, but she simply shrugs it off and promises to find armor later. When we're ready my friend grabs the bow, absolutely gleaming with joy. We both look inside the altar and see the last portal. We both step through, transported right outside the cave we originally came in from. The Khajiit looks over to where I think Solitude is and tells me, "Okay, let's go. We'll have to stop by Solitude to get some elven arrows for you to bleed on, but that's the only detour we can make.". I nod in agreement, motion at the path, and tell my friend, "Lead the way.". The Khajiit begins walking away and I easily follow her, both of us silent. Am I suppose to say something about what we just did? Does _she_ want to say something about what we just did? I'm absolutely fine with what just happened, but is she okay with it?

I look over and see the Khajiit's stoic face, the woman completely focused on where we're going. Is she usually like this, or is she acting strange for her? I never paid attention enough attention before to notice. I decide to bite the arrow, clear my throat, and say, "So...". The Khajiit looks over and me and nonchalantly goes, "Hm?". I cough and ask, "Are you okay with what we just did?". The woman cocks her head in confusion, then it dawns on her and she says, "Oh! The sex! Yes. Absolutely fine with it.". We both fall silent again, but I realize something. That's not the question I wanted answered. I want to know what it meant to her.

If I mean something to her and sex was just us gaining trust for one another, or if I was just a nice fuck the Khajiit will enjoy and forget about. I realize it's absolutely stupid, we've been in a relationship for a long period of time, we've saved each other's lives, and the Khajiit didn't simply leave once I finished pleasuring her. Not to mention I'm an ancient vampire, so it shouldn't matter what it was to either of us. But it's still nagging at me, and I need to know. I once again bite the arrow and question the woman, "What did it mean to you?". The woman was gnawing at her claws as she walked, but stops and easily answers, "The both of us solidifying our trust in one another and showing how much we love one another.".

I stop walking, but the Khajiit keeps going for a few seconds before she's realized I've stopped. The woman turns around and ask, "Serana? What's wrong?". I blink and whisper, "Love?". The woman nods and says, "Love. Now, can we get going before the sun's up?". I don't move and the woman quickly realizes something's going on. My friend walks back to me and when she's close to me I question, "You love me?". She nods and agrees, "I love you.". She looks confused and ask, "Didn't you know that?". When I shake my head she quickly says, "Well I do. I love you more than Ulfric Stormcloak loves himself.".

I blink and counter, "I don't know who Ulfric Stormcloak is.". The Khajiit waves my concern off and assures me, "He loves himself a lot.". I slowly get a little closer to the woman, swallowing my pride and fear as I tell her, "I love you.". I say it as quickly as I can, terrified the woman will be disturbed or tell me she wasn't being serious. But all the woman does is smile and ask, "Is something wrong?". When I shake my head she insist, "Something's wrong. You're asking what the sex meant to me, you questioned if I love you, and-". She snaps her jaws shut before whispering, "You're afraid I'm going to leave you.". I open my mouth to fight her accusations, then close my jaws and nod when I realize what she's said is true.

The Khajiit offers me another small smile, shakes her head, and gets as close to me as she can. The naked woman wraps her arms around me before whispering, "I'll never leave you. You know that.". Our lips find one another's and we simply enjoy the kiss for a few moments, then we pull apart and resume our walking. I feel a little better now that I'm assured the woman isn't just going to walk away once all of this is over. Soon enough we arrive at Solitude, the sun still hidden behind the mountains. We can't find an open store, but the Khajiit crouches down by a smith's store and whispers, "Watch out for guards.".

I'm about to ask her what she means, then she silently unlocks the door and rolls inside. I hiss in surprise, but stay outside and watch for approaching guards. Nobody sees us and eventually my friend returns, at least a hundred elven arrows in her arms. She smirks and says, "Come on!". She runs away at a speed I can barely match, stopping when we're outside the city and safely hidden. Once we're both settled the woman says, "Okay, time for the blood.". I sigh and mumble, "Let's just get this over with.". I pull back my arms, pricking my skin with the tip of each arrow. It takes forever, and when I'm done my arms are riddled with holes. But the Khajiit is absolutely thrilled, so it makes it somewhat worth it.

When she has the arrows she stands and begins walking away. All I can do is follow her, the Khajiit somehow knowing where to go. We don't speak as we walk, both of us feeling the pressure beginning to push down on us. We don't even speak when we begin swimming to the island, the boat having sunk long ago. When we come out of the water my friend suddenly realizes she's naked. She stops, turns to me, and ask, "Why didn't we get armor in Solitude? Why did we wait this long?". I eye her and admit, "I'm surprised you made it this far without remembering you're naked. It's fine, just transform if and when the fighting starts.".

She still looks a little nervous, but nods and begins to once again lead the way. The heavy oak doors groan when we open them, the castle surprisingly quiet. One of the death hounds bounds up to us, licking some dried blood from the Khajiit's side. She chuckles and scratches the beast, then ask me, "Do you think this guy will help us?". I shrug and answer, "We can kill him if we have to.". The woman laughs, rubs the hound's head, and ask, "You want to come with me boy?". He lets out a disturbing bark in answer. I'm not sure what it means, but he begins to follow us. However, I hear him whimper when we finally find my father. He's already in the chapel and transformed, waiting for us to find him.

My friend and her hound hang back, allowing my father and I to talk. He starts it by saying, "So, you've returned. Is your... pet keeping you entertained?". I scoff and tell him, "You know why we're here.". He nods in agreement and states, "Of course I do. You disappoint me, Serana. You've taken everything I provided for you and thrown it all away for this...half-bred vampire.". I feel my anger rising as I snarl, "Provided for me? Are you insane? You've destroyed our family. You've killed other vampires. All over some prophecy that we barely understand. No more. I'm done with you. You _will not_ touch her.".

My father laughs and growls, "So, I see this dragon has fangs. Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence. How alike you've become.". I shake my head and deny, "No...Because unlike her, I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore.". My father sighs, turns to my friend, and hisses, "And you. It appears I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before your ambition outgrew your loyalty.". The Khajiit practically growls, "Loyalty? You never intended to let me live.". My father shrugs it off and says, "A small price to pay for the betterment of our kind.". My friend shakes her head and says, "You're an insult to our kind.". Harkon simply says, "Oh, come now...spare me your notions of kinship. You've simply used Serana in an attempt to take away what should rightfully be mine.".

I wish I could say I was one hundred percent certain my father was lying, but I can't say that. Worry was already in my heart, and grows when he says that. But it melts away when my lover (the fact I can use that word makes me practically giddy with pleasure) says, "I would _never_ use Serana like that.". My father easily counter, "The vampire is eternal, and with immortality comes the revelation that these bonds never endure... it's fleeting, momentary at best.".

My friend looks at me as she promises, "This bond is more than just fleeting. I know it.". My father and my friend were talking about completely separate bonds, but my father continues by saying, "If you insist. I'm growing weary of speaking to you and my traitorous daughter. I'll give you a single chance to turn over the bow to me. There will not be a second.". My friend laughs, pulls the bow from her back, and practically roars, "Never!". My father roars in return, "Very well then, you leave me no choice!". In an instant the battle of the century has started.


	29. Kindred Judgement

My father instantly flies away as fast as he can, raising skeletons and gargoyles in his wake. The death hound we brought along with us is of no use. He charges at a gargoyle, but whimpers and runs away when the statue raises its hand at him. My friend is chasing after my father, the man cleverly staying out of range of melee weapons. The Khajiit _might_ be able to hit him with an arrow, but he's going too fast to really aim for. I settle for taking on the skeletons and gargoyles, but they're easily defeated. My father still raises more, but there are long moments when I have nothing at all to fight. I consider going after my father, but I can't bring myself to.

Besides, this is more of my friend's fight. She was the one my father made into a vampire, lied to, and planned on killing. He planned on doing worse things to me, but the fight with the Khajiit just seems more important. I try to watch the fight, but it's constantly moving. My father is all over the place, my friend right behind him with her bow at the ready. It doesn't matter where my sire goes, the newest member of our clan is one step behind him. She lets lose a few arrows at him, but can't really do much else considering how fast he's going. I'm dumbly standing there and gazing at him when a gargoyle leaps at me, knocking me to the ground. I quickly get up and resume fighting, but I can't watch my father and friend.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

After chasing Harkon around for a good ten minutes, I decide to forget trying to kill him with a bow. However, I still can't let him get the bow. So, I turn and begin running to Serana. I break a skeleton that she's fighting, shoving the bow and arrows at her and yelling, "Take it!". She nods and straps the weapons to her back without a second thought. Then, I transform as quickly as I can. Harkon has been using this time to heal himself, but he starts running when he sees me approaching him. But this time we both have wings. I catch up to him in a few strides, grabbing onto his back and forcing him to the ground.

His neck is exposed and my fangs are ready. Can it really be this easy? Of course not. He flings me from his back, my body hitting a gargoyle statue and shattering the stone. Harkon towers above me, picking up the gargoyle's arm and bringing it down at my guts like a spear. I roll out of the way, quickly bounding up and flipping around. Harkon is attempting to get the stone arm out of the ground, leaving himself completely vulnerable to my attack. My claws rake down his face, leaving deep gashes in his flesh. The man roars and blindly lashes out, leaving four deep cuts in my chest. I roar in return and leap at him, tackling him to the ground. I can only imagine what we look like. A flurry of claws, teeth, and the occasional blast of magic. We must look like a ferocious sight.

But the fight can't last forever. I'm not sure who breaks away from who, but eventually we're both away from each other. I look at Harkon and see his chest is a bloody mess, one of his eyes hidden by blood. But I don't look much better. My left shoulder looks like mashed beef, and one of my ear is hanging by a thread of skin. However, we both force ourselves to our feet. I'm not even sure what Serana's doing, but I'm glad she isn't in this battle. Harkon and I both rush at each other, and I have a plan this time. I yank myself to the side at the last second, Harkon never expecting it due to my reputation as being somewhat idiotic.

I have the opportunity to grab his wings, and I take it with both hands. I grab onto the appendage and yank as hard as I can, Harkon's momentum helping with my plan. A sickening _crack_ is heard throughout the cathedral as Harkon's wing pops from its socket. I don't stop there. I snap forward like a snake, sinking my teeth into the flesh of his wing. I chew as quickly as I can, blood spewing everywhere. Eventually my teeth connect with one another, and I'm left holding a bloody wing in my hands. I can't help smiling as Harkon crashes to the ground. He curses me as he gets to his feet, now unable to use his magic or fly. The man turns and charges at me, but I use the tactic he used before hand. I drop the wing and fly backwards as quickly as I can.

It's strangely satisfying seeing Harkon desperately rush after me, hoping to tackle me to the ground. I access my magicka and throw a quick spell at him, but I've never been particularly strong in the magic area. Harkon doesn't even flinch, roaring as he continues to charge after me. I'm smirking as the man is chasing me, but the smirk is wiped from my face when I feel my back connect with a wall. In an instant Harkon is on me, a grin splitting his face as his claws and teeth go to work. I fight back with all my might, but eventually we're once again a gigantic ball of fighting. This time it's Harkon who breaks away, rushing to the Altar of Molag Bal.

When he begins to drink the liquid I realize he's healing himself. I yell at Serana to do something, and I look over to see my friend awkwardly holding my bow and loading it. She nervously fires it, the arrow finding her father's side. Harkon screams in agony and is forced to stop drinking, returning to combat. The man comes straight at me. I try to stand my ground, but I can feel the weariness in my limbs. I already know I'm going to transform back to my normal form, so I quickly find a place to hide. I leap for a crevice between a gargoyle statue and the wall. I transform back halfway through the leap, sliding into the space. I turn and begin to gasp, then Harkon arrives. All I can do is shrink back as his fangs and claws try to reach me.

* * *

><p><strong>Serana POV:<strong>

I see my friend trapped and quickly go to help her, leaping on my father without another thought. Harkon roars and backs away as I secure myself on his back, beginning to stab his shoulders and skull. He can't take to the air, however he's still a formidable foe. But I manage to hang on as he bucks back and forth, roaring as he tries to pull me from his back. My friend slowly creeps from her hiding place, looking around for a weapon. She's standing when my father notices her and goes into a rage. He charges at the Khajiit, his own daughter still secured to his back.

I scream and without thinking jab the butt of my dagger into one of his eyes, too furious to wonder why I didn't use the sharp end. Hakron stops short of my friend, howling and waving his clawed hands in the air in his attempt to get me off. My friend quickly goes off to the side, picking up a shard of a gargoyle statue. I'm still hanging onto my father when she rushes up, piercing the vampire's side with the shard of stone. Harkon screams and finally does what he's attempted to do, throws me off of him. I hit one of the hundreds of gargoyle statues he has in the cathedral, shattering the stone and stunning me. I blink and see a shadow falling over me, looking up to see my father towering over me. He opens his mouth, but a different roar grabs both of our attentions.

* * *

><p><strong>Dovahkiin POV:<strong>

I'm not transformed into my vampire lord form, but that doesn't stop me from slamming into Harkon. I just couldn't contain myself when I saw he was about to hurt Serana. I smack him flat on the ground, the man looking up at me in stunned silence. I grab the first thing I can reach, the torse of the gargoyle statue. I raise it over my head, Harkon trying to rise. I bring the stone down on his knee, shattering it. Blood goes everywhere, the _cracking _noise disturb me, and I'm certain he no longer has a knee. The man is writhing and screaming in pain, but I just pick up the ass of the gargoyle.

When he tries to get away I bring it down on his chest, the bones _snapping _and Harkon's broad chest collapsing in on itself. The man is now just lying there and panting, unable to move. Finally, I pick up the head of the gargoyle. I stumble up to the vampire's head, raising the block of stone high in the air. I scream as I bring it down, crushing the monster's head in a spray of blood and brain goop. I slowly slide to my knees as thick black blood spews and pours everywhere, Harkon's dead body going limp. I collapse onto my side, panting as my wounds catch up to me. I feel a tender hand come to rest on my shoulder, and look up to see Serana gazing down at me. Before I can say anything she whispers, "Thank you.". I nod and manage to pant, "Anything for you.". The woman picks me up, wrapping me in her arms.

We're interrupted by Garan Marethi walking in, clearing his throat when he sees the mess. I prepare to say something, but he speaks first. He looks at Harkon's corpse and whispers, "Lord Harkon, defeated. I never imagined I'd see the day.". He turns to Serana and assures her, "My lady, you have my deepest sympathies. I am sure this was not easy for you.". My lover easily answers, "He was out of control, Garan. It had to be done. I'm not happy about this. He... he was still my father. But I suppose my father really died a long time ago. This was just the end of something else.". The man nods and says, "Of course, my dear. All will be well now.".

When he's done talking to Serana he turns to me and says, "My congratulations on defeating Harkon. Clearly, you are the superior vampire. You are the new Master; we bow to your power. A power which, I note, includes Auriel's Bow. The castle, of course, is yours. We shall follow you, and help spread your influence across Skyrim.". My eyes widen and I instantly say, "No! No, you have it all wrong. Serana and I-". I'm interrupted by my love's hand coming up and covering my mouth, Serana telling Garan, "She's honored.". The man nods and tells us, "Find me later if you wish, I'll be around.". He turns and quickly flees the room. I instantly turn to Serana, giving her a questioning look.

She chuckles and explains, "Never admit anything in front of vampires, they'll rip you apart. Figuratively and literally. Besides, I'm sure as oblivion not leading this place. You'll be a damned fine leader.". I open my mouth to argue, but Serana's tongue makes a more compelling debate. I moan into the kiss, and when Serana pulls away I have a grin on my face. My lover kisses me on the cheek and ask, "What next?". I think for a moment, then answer. I'm certain she was expecting something sexual, which is why she looks so surprised when I say, "Let's go get your mom.".


	30. Durnehviir's Warning

**Serana POV:**

I step back and look at the Khajiit in front of me. Her wounds are weeping blood, she's naked, and her fur is matted all over her body. She's in no condition to go into the Soul Cairn, so I tell her, "Okay, but we need to get you some armor and some more arrows.". My lover nods in agreement and we both silently walk to where Hestla works her forge. The woman looks up, eyes the Khajiit, and calmly ask, "What kind of armor do you want?". My friend instantly answers, "Light.". The ancient vampire begins to go to work, hammering out some armor for the new leader of the Volkihar Vampire Clan. We both idly walk around the room until the armor is done.

When I see it I have to blink a few times to make sure it's what I think it is. We didn't tell Hestla what kind of armor, so she did what she always does with creative freedom. She went overboard. When she presents it the woman puffs herself up and proudly explains, "Blacker than night, that's what's perfect for a vampire leader. Ebony wouldn't do since it's too heavy and reflects the light like a mirror. I got some obsidian from Red Mountain, but it's brittle and wouldn't offer protection in battle. However, if it's heated and stirred with certain metals it becomes as hard as Daedric Armor while weighing no more than leather. The trick is in the metals, most smiths use tin and copper to strengthen the obsidian.".

"But the final production is heavy as glass and as bad as iron. I use gold and quicksilver, expensive but in my opinion it's worth it. It'll absorb the light and practically make you invisible in the night. You've seen those damned Stormcloak generals that occasionally try to explore the island, right? I took a page from their armorer and copied their style.". She realizes I'm there and explains, "Their armor goes along with their symbol, looks just like a bear. I thought my leader should look as fierce as possible, and making armor like your symbol isn't a bad idea. We don't have a symbol, but I decided to go off your vampire lord form.".

"Well, mostly Harkon's since I haven't seen you in yours. Anyway, your helm is in the shape of a snarling vampire bat, it's attached to your cuirass, and you're able to pull it down like a hood. The exterior has an actual bat monster's head covering it so when you ride into battle it'll look like all you're wearing is the head of a slain vampire lord. I found it fitting. The cuirass and leggings are going to be solid with flexible metal around the joints to bend. The actual sigil of our clan will be imprinted on the chest, although I doubt your opponents will be able to see it as you ride towards them. We didn't have a true symbol, so I used an ancient ruin Nords used to 'ward vampires off'. It's just a line with a b 'V' up top and a smaller 'V' down bottom. Now, moving on.".

"The leggings will have a pattern carved into them so it appears they're made from your own scraggy vampire lord pelt, simply to make a better appearance than plain black leggings. The boots will look like your vampire lord feet, although they'll work just like regular boots. Finally, the gauntlets will be shaped like your own vampire hands, claws and all. You'll even be able to use them in combat, if you should find yourself disarmed. Well, that's all I have to say. Do either of you two need anything else while I have my hammer out?". My shocked friend nods and whispers, "Arrows.". Before Hestla can start working I correct, "_Elven_ arrows.".

The woman gives me a dirty look, but goes back to work. However, she still finds a way to go too far over the top. She hands us easily a thousand arrows, giving me yet another filthy look when she's done. My friend awkwardly straps the quivers of arrows to her back and thanks the woman for her work. Hestla nods in appreciation and I can practically feel her ego swell. My Khajiit lover questions the woman, "How much does all of this cost?". Hestla opens her mouth to answer, but I interrupt her by saying, "There's no need to pay. You're the damned leader. It's fine.". I don't see a problem with Hestla charging us for her work since she's the best smith in Skryim, but I have a problem after she gave me two dirty looks.

The verbal fight that ensues is long and tiresome, but I don't back down. When it's over we aren't paying for anything and Hestla is snarling about never smithing again. Finally, my friend is able to put her armor on. She drops the arrows to the floor and dawns the ebony colored gear. I can't even begin to describe the awe and fear it would inspire in mortals. It's like she's a smaller and darker version of her vampire lord form, her blond tail the only thing out of place. Then, the woman picks up the arrows and starts to walk away. I begin to follow the Khajiit outside, but we're stopped by Garan Marethi.

He clears his throat and questions my friend, "Now that the Castle is yours, I was wondering. Would you be interested in having the passage to the Courtyard restored? Harkon clearly never cared much for it.". I'm shocked that he's offering, but I'm even more shocked when my lover answers, "See to it at once.". Garan bows and says, "It would be my pleasure.". He quickly disappears to go to work. My friend and I resume our walking, but the second we're outside we run into a problem. Five members of The Dawnguard attempt to ambush us, but this time we're ready. The looks on their faces are priceless, all of them stumbling and pausing when we charge at them. The last one is dead before the real battle has even started.

As we walk my friend shakes her head and says, "We need to take care of them eventually.". I nod in agreement, the group of vampire hunters getting somewhat tiresome. The walk to the portal to The Soul Cairn is boring, all of our enemies still dead and where we left them. The portal is still open, pulsating as we enter it. The Soul Cairn hasn't changed a bit besides the large dragon flying in the sky. We're walking down the footpath when Durnehviir lets lose a shout, but it only hits my friend. She doesn't catch flame of freeze to death, but she finds herself forced flat on her back. The Khajiit is instantly on her feet ready for battle.

I draw my own weapon, but the beast never comes down to face us. We shrug and keep going. We've only gone a few feet when the exact same thing happens. We get ready for a fight, but Durnehviir still doesn't come down. It happens five more times, and by the fifth time we don't even bother preparing ourselves for battle. I'm not sure what the ancient beast is playing at, but he isn't achieving anything. His shouts are a slight inconvenience for the Khajiit and nothing more. They don't even hit me, and I'm the daughter of the woman he was suppose to guard for eternity. We're nearing my mother's former prisoner when the giant lizard flies down, landing right beside us. When he sees us draw our weapons he quickly screams, "Don't! I come as a friend, not as a foe!".

We both throw a cautious look at each other before slowly lowering our weapons, but we leave them out. Durnehviir turns to my Khajiit friend and focuses the conversation purely on her. He licks his flaking lips before saying, "Qahnaarin, it is good to see you again. Have you gone to fulfill your destiny yet?". When she shakes her head the beast huffs and says, "You should go as soon as you can, I can feel the eater of worlds coming closer to us.". I interrupt by asking, "Eater of worlds?". The monster flips around and grumbles, "I have said too much already, the lein naakin would consume my soul for assisting his foretold nemesis.".

He turns back to the Khajiit and continues, "If you do not follow the path laid out for you, then all of Tamriel shall fall due to your selfishness. You already have the scroll required, but you have a long journey ahead of you. One longer than the trail you're already taken, and this path is more important.". I once again interrupt by asking, "What was more important than stopping my father? He was going to destroy everyone who wasn't a vampire.". Durnehviir turns around again and hauntingly states, "The lein naakin shall consume not only the living, but the dead as well. He shall consume the souls of those with the Nine and The Daedra, then move on to the Nords, Khajiit, vampires, zombies, poor, rich, and everything that takes life from the earth.".

He turns back to my friend as he continues, "Once all the souls fill his belly, then the very world itself shall suffer. Fire shall rain from the sky, the oceans and streams shall boil, the world will constantly shake, and volcanoes shall erupt all over the planet. Finally, the world eater will consume the earth itself, leaving nothingness in its place. I'm certain the world shall be reborn anew, but the Nine are slow in their work. They could recreate the world the second the world eater has taken his last bite, or they could wait until the mortal equivalent of a million centuries has passed.".

"I would be saved from the carnage, but both of you would become two more bite-sized morsels in the world eater's feast.". All three of us fall silent and I bite the arrow by asking, "How do we stop it?". He's still looking at the Khajiit as he answers, "Follow the path you started when your life was sparred at Helgen, and never forget why you're going down the road you have to. Because there's more than just yourself to look after. When you left your mother's womb you were destined for greatness. There were so many times you could have died in your childhood, but you were sparred so you could carry out your destiny. Now all you have to do is follow the path laid out for you. If you feel the need to run or hide, just remember that you aren't the most important thing in the world.". My lover blinks and ask, "How did you-". Durnehviir takes off in an instant, disappearing into the smog that covers this place.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: We're once again reaching that time. I fear <em>A New Order <em>is nearing its end. It won't come to a conclusion for a few chapters, so we have a little while. However, we've reached the problem we always do. I work on two stories at once, and need another one to do. _The Wolf Queen's Bitch _is getting easier to write, and the end is hovering within eleven chapters or so. So, you may as well tell me which two you want. I'm considering opening a poll, so watch out for that. I plan on eventually continuing this story in a sequel, but I don't know how long i'll wait. Anyway, here are the choices and remember I could always write something else someone else suggest.**

**_A Trophy Wolf. _Krev the Skinner/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. This one will focus on the Dovahkiin going absolutely crazy during the battle with The Silver Hand, and screwing everything up. She injures Aela the Huntress, misses Krev, and runs off into the wild. Krev leaves the fort with only her armor and a spear, planning on killing the werewolf that slaughtered her men. What ensues is a sort of Moby-Dick and Ishmael rivalry that will somehow morph into a twisted romance only Krev feels. The Dovahkiin will be transformed into a werewolf throughout all of this story, but she'll still have POV chapters._  
><em>**

**_The Dark Side of Skyrim. _Alva/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. In this one it'll focus on what happens after Laid to Rest. The Dovahkiin was infected during the vampire's attack without knowing it, went to celebrate at the inn by a few days of drinking, and transformed in the middle of fucking a whore. Without a second thought she drained the whore of blood and went crazy on the town. She killed five of the citizens, and one of them was Falion (the one who cures you of vampirism). This is set in a universe without The Dawnguard expansion pack, so we all know what that means. More weaknesses, less strengths, and the town attacks you at stage four vampirism. Alva escaped the attack on Morthal and finds the Dovahkiin half mad and eating a long dead fish. She can't bring herself to leave the woman to die (mostly because she keeps imagining she was the one who infected her), and eventually romance ensues.  
><strong>

_**Revolting.**_** Elenwen/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. A sequel to _Disgusting. _This will focus on the Dragonborn's children, Delphine still trying to free the Dovahkiin, Lydia attempting to understand her Thane's life choice, The Embassy slowly gaining more slaves, and an anonymous person inside The Embassy subtly tipping off Elisif on the slaving going on.**

**_Bears in the Winter. _Galmar Stone-Fist/Male Khajiit Dragonborn. This will sort of be like _The March. _The Stormcloaks are off to war, and the Dovahkiin is used as a sort of figurehead to encourage the troops. Galmar and Ulfric are leading their men for the final battle at Solitude, and they take the Dovahkiin with them to strengthen the courage of the men. It'll be a slow romantic build, similar to Rikke and her Dovahkiin. I'll admit I usually join The Legion, so I might not do The Stormcloaks justice.**


	31. A New Order: Love

The Khajiit and I continue walking, eventually reaching my mother's prison. We walk up the steps and find the woman working at an alchemy table, stirring things together in a pot. I hang back as the Khajiit steps forward, clearing her throat. My mother flips around with a panicked look on her face, but calms down when she realizes it's us. She brushes herself free of imaginary dust and asks, "What?". My friend easily tells her, "Harkon is dead.". My mother stands there in shock for a few minutes, then composes herself and whispers, "I don't believe it.". She shakes her head and questions, "Who rules the castle?".

She's looking at me when she asks it, so it makes it awkward when my friend clears her throat and raises her hand. Valerica gives her a disdainful look and says, "Oh, you.". She sighs before saying, "I'll gather my things and return to the castle as soon as I can.". My friend nods and begins to walk away, but I motion for her to stay. We both silently wait until my mother has gathered her things and we begin walking. We lead my mother out of the cairn, my friend and I walking side by side. Everything is quiet until we're about halfway to the exit. We hear the roar of a dragon, and my thoughts instantly snap to Durnehviir. Without thinking I scoot closer to my lover, the woman instinctively wrapping her arms around me as we both look around.

Eventually the noise passes and my lover releases me, but my mother has noticed. She catches up to us, breaks us apart with her shoulders, and turns her head to me as we all continue to walk. My mother clears her throat and questions, "What was that?". In an instant I'm lying, "She's my friend and was just comforting me, I thought it was Durnehviir.". Valerica eyes me and asks, "Friends? That's all?". I nod, and instantly freeze when I realize what I've done. My lover is looking at me from over my mother's shoulder, and I can barely see her face beneath her helm. But I see enough. The look of hurt and betrayal wretches my heart in two.

What have I done? I'm not sure why I lied to my mother, but I know there's only one way to fix it. Valerica looked away when I assured her the Khajiit and I were just friends, so I clear my throat to regain my mother's attention. In an instant she's looking at me, but none of us stop walking. I nervously lick my lips before saying, "No. We aren't just friends.". A look of rage crosses my mother's face as she hisses, "Oh, well what are you? The answer better be allies or enemies.". I swallow and manage to squeak, "Lovers.". My mother calmly halts, puts her stuff down, and demands, "Tell me this is your idea of a sick joke.". When I shake my head my mother calmly turns to the Khajiit, then solidly punches her dead in the face _right_ where her helm doesn't cover.

My friend stumbles back and clutches her face, cursing as my mother charges at her. All I can do is scream, "Mother, no!" before Valerica is upon my lover. She grabs the distracted Khajiit and flings her to the side, the woman bouncing on the ground before slowly stopping. She starts to push herself up, but my mother is already prepared for her. My lover barely has her head up when my mom strikes, pinning her to the ground and grabbing her throat. Valerica pulls her head up and smashes it against the ground repeatedly, all the while snarling, "YOU FILTHY HALF-BRED, COWARDLY, DISGUSTING KHAJIIT! DON'T **EVER **TOUCH MY DAUGHTER! I SWEAR TO WHATEVER DEITY YOUR DISGUSTING PEOPLE WORSHIP THAT **I WILL END YOU**!".

My friend could easily fight back and injure my mother, but she doesn't. I know exactly why she simply lies there and takes it. She doesn't want to upset me. I'll have to fawn over her later though because my mother is busy smashing my lover's brain into a grey goo. I take a few steps back before charging, knocking my mother off of my friend and pinning her. Valerica hisses and bucks beneath me, but two clawed hands come to rest on her shoulders. I look up and see my friend nod at me. I nod back and look back down at my mother, instantly asking, "What in oblivionwas that for?".

My mother hisses, "I'll only speak of this to you!". I look at my friend and she nods again, slinking away behind a formation of rocks. I slowly allow my mother up and sit down beside her on the ground, motioning for her to speak. Valerica composes herself before answering, "I raised my daughter better than to take something like,". She motions to where my friend is waiting, "_that _into her bed. Serana, we _eat_ cats. We _never_ keep them as pets.". I practically snarl, "She isn't a 'cat'. She's a proud Khajiit of-". I can't remember if the Khajiit is actually from Elsweyr, or if she even told me where she's from. She doesn't have the accent, but I still go with Elsweyr.

I finish my sentence, "Elsweyr. She's a proud Khajiit of Elsweyr.". As an afterthought I add, "I love her.". My mother laughs before snorting and telling me, "_Love_. What a disgusting word. I_loved_your father. Now I'm celebrating his death. I _love_ you. Now you've told me you've taken a filthy beast as a lover. _Love_ isn't real, you just enjoy her. Soon enough one of you will get bored of the other, and then your little fling will go to oblivion. Trust me Serana, forget about her and break things off. You'll only hurt yourself by staying with her. Besides, she doesn't deserve you.". I gather all of my anger and rage inside of me before speaking, my rant to my mother carefully planned out.

"That woman awakened me from thousands of years of sleep when nobody else bothered to come get me. She took me back home instead of going to The Dawnguard, the same group she swore her allegiance to. When I wanted to accompany her she took me in with open arms, genuinely took an interest in me, and shared herself with me. She's taken a death hound's bite to the leg, jumped in front of a keeper's hammer, and fought a dragon to save me. We've traveled to the depths of dwemer ruins, killed the ancient vampire who _wrote_ the prophecies, and made love in an ancient altar dedicated to Auri-El. She fought Harkon for me, took over leading when I didn't want to, and insisted on coming and getting you! Oblivion, I think I know her better than I know you! I love her, and I intend on spending the rest of my life showing it to her.".

My mother scoffs at my speak and declares, "One day a pretty little piece of ass will come along, and you'll walk in on your 'love' fucking some twenty septim whore.". She eyes sparkle as she says, "Or it could be you who fucks some slut.". I feel my hand connect with my mother's face before I realize what I'm doing. The stunned woman looks at me and I snarl, "We love each other. I'm not sure what we've found in one another, but it's deeper than _anything_ you and father had. Dad wanted you dead, but I'd die for that 'cat'.".

Valerica shakes her head and hisses, "You're nothing but a child!". I nod and say, "And I'm going to enjoy the rest of my eternal life falling even deeper in love with the woman you tried to kill.". My mother sighs and insist, "I raised you better. She's a half-bred Khajiit.". I scoff and add, "And your leader. She makes me happy, her blood isn't important, and she's twice the woman you are.". My mother and I both sit and stare at each other in silence. After a few minutes, I dare to ask her, "Are you still coming with us?". She nods and growls, "I'll come with you, but only to try to show you how disgusting that cat is.".

I nod and challenge, "Nothing you can do can change my mind about her. Wait here, I'll go get her.". The second I'm behind the rock I'm practically tackled, the Khajiit's lips finding mine. It suddenly occurs to me that we might have been talking louder than I thought. I grab onto the Khajiit's head and knock off her helm, winding my hands into her mane as she deepens the kiss. I feel our bodies press together and groan in approval, slowly bringing the woman down to the ground. I climb on top of her, pressing down as we never break the kiss. I bring one of my hands down and slip it into her breastplate, gentling kneeing her tit. That's when I feel a rock hit me in the head. I curse and snap my head up, my mother's angry face looking down at me from the rock.

The woman snarls, "I allow you two to be together, and this is what I get in return?! Stop fucking and come carry my stuff!". My friend quickly grabs her helm and we come out from behind the rock. I thought I would enjoy the rest of the walk out of The Soul Cairn. Holding hands with my lover, relaxing because all the loose ends are tied up, and allowing myself to breathe. The reality is far from it. My mother is standing in between us, I have to carry her stuff, and Valerica takes pleasure in 'accidentally' pushing the Khajiit from the path. My friend simply sighs and takes it, but I feel my anger boiling inside of me.

When we exit the cairn I shove my mother's belongings into her arms, grab my lover's hand, and lead her away from Valerica. We go out into the courtyard, and I notice a new door. We both approach it, but I'm the one that touches the wood. The door swings open, revealing a path to the main hall of the castle. As we walk through the Khajiit whistles and says, "Fast work.". I nod in agreement. The Khajiit takes her armor off and stores it in a trunk, hanging her weapon on the wall. We both idly walk around the castle for a little bit, but I quickly decide what to do when my lover does something that drives me crazy.

The Khajiit has mixed a bottle of blood, some cinnamon, and a skin of brandy together in one giant wine skin. She smirks and drinks it, but chokes and yanks it away. The liquid splatters down her front, outlining her chest in perfect detail. The woman shrugs and keeps drinking, now accustomed to the strength of the beverage. I swallow, grab her arm, and ask, "Have I ever shown your new room now that you're the leader?". She shakes her head and I tell her, "Come on, you need to see it.". I yank her away without another word.

The woman and I stumble into my room, barely able to reach the bed. She squeaks in surprise when I push her down onto the fluffy mattress, the only bed in the entire castle. I practically rip her shirt off of her, grabbing her tits and kneeing them. The woman sighs into my mouth and thrust her chest forward. I gently tease her nipples and I dominate her mouth, eventually moving down to take off her pants. The Khajiit raises her hips to help me get her out of them, but manages to grumble, "Why am I the only one naked?". I chuckle and quickly strip of my armor, the torchlight flickering off my skin.

The Khajiit's eyes roam up and down my body, her tongue coming out to flick over her fangs. Without another word I recapture her in a kiss. Our fangs scrape and cut one another's lips, but we pay the blood no mind and become even rougher. I've already proven to her I love her, now I want to dominate her. I want to claim her until she's a screaming mess, chew on her neck until everyone knows what we've been up to, and fuck her until all she can do is lie in bed and groan. And, I plan on doing just that. I break the kiss and latch onto her neck, beginning to suck and nibble on the skin. The Khajiit slowly moves beneath me and I can hear her heavy panting, her hands slowly clawing down my naked back. I _hiss_ as I feel her claws rip open my flesh, but I don't stop.

I move one of my hands from her tit and reach down to feel her already weeping entrance. My long, sinewy fingers spear the woman in one swift motion. The Khajiit thrust her hips up to meet my palm, hissing and begging, "_Harder_.". I happily oblige her wish. I keep attacking her neck and playing with her tit as I fuck her, my lover happily moving beneath me and whispering words of encouragement. Her words are like a sweet song, and I fuck her all the faster because of it. I'm certain the woman is confused about what brought on this sudden urge to fuck her, but I couldn't care less at the moment.

In all honesty I don't even know why I got the sudden urge to dominate the Khajiit so thoroughly. I've seen her tits a thousand times, it shouldn't make me want to jump in bed with her every time. I shake off my thoughts and go back to pleasuring the Khajiit. I begin to twist my fingers inside of her, roughly pinch her nipple, and sink my teeth into her neck. My lover hisses in pleasure, thrusting her neck even more into my fangs. I shake my head a little to add to the situation, speeding up my movements even more. It's a nearly impossible task, but I manage to accomplish it. Finally, I feel her cunt begin to spasm and the Khajiit lets out a throaty moan. When her cunt ceases to spasm I pull out my fingers, release her tit, and yank my fangs out of her neck.

I smirk at the wound I've left. The left side of her neck is a bloody mess, and now the rest of the castle will know what we've done. And that we belong to one another. I lean forward and kiss her, pulling back to murmur, "_Mine_.". The Khajiit manages to pant, "If I'm yours, then you're mine.". I open my mouth to agree, but I don't get the chance. In one swift motion the woman is on top of me, a smug smirk on her face. I prepare to say something witty, but the woman once again interrupts me. She jumps down my body in one swift motion, spreads my legs, and shoves her head between my thighs. I instantly hiss as the woman goes to work.

One of her hands comes up to grasp my right tit, her other hand resting on my waist as she does what she's best at. Her rough tongue scrapes against my cunt, slowly driving me mad. Her hand on my tit slowly knees the flesh, her thumb occasionally rubbing against my nipple. I wind my hands in her mane and whisper terms of endearment to her as she fucks me. I try to hold on and enjoy the sensations for a while, but the woman is too skilled for her own good. It's honestly actually quite concerning. I know I might not be her first fuck, but it would still be a nice thought that I was. My inner ramblings are interrupted by my cunt beginning to spasm, pleasure overtaking me. I sigh in content, but the Khajiit doesn't stop.

I remember she didn't the last time either, and I was forced to tell her when to quit. I quickly pat her head and tell her, "Good! Good!". I've only reached my peak of pleasure once, but my urge to dominate the woman has been filled. Besides, there will be plenty of other opportunities to fuck her. The Khajiit pulls back, but looks up at me in confusion and ask, "Did I-". I nod and pull her up to me, trapping her in my arms. I didn't have the chance to simply lie down with her and bask in her company the last time we had sex, but this time is different. This time we don't have to worry about an ancient prophecy, my father, or my mother.

All we have to worry about is us. Huh, funny. All we have to worry about is us. I stroke the Khajiit's arm and ask, "What do you want to do now that we're free of Harkon?". My friend shrugs and says, "Find out what my 'destiny' is, destroy The Dawnguard, and-". She leans us, kisses my nose, and answers, "love you. What about you? You've been under his shadow far longer than me.". I shrug and say, "Besides loving you, I don't really know what I want to do. I suppose only time will tell.". The woman nods and snuggles up to me, basking in what we've done. It's true what I'm telling her. I have no idea what I want to do now that I'm free. But as long as she's with me, I know I can do anything. No matter what.

_The End_

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I want to thank anyone who read andor reviewed this. I loved writing this, and it was amazing seeing how much everyone liked it. I can't thank you guys enough. Without you this would be nothing.**

**Now, here's the rundown on what works are happening when.**

**1. _**Revolting.**_** Elenwen/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. A sequel to _Disgusting. _This will focus on the Dragonborn's children, Delphine still trying to free the Dovahkiin, Lydia attempting to understand her Thane's life choice, The Embassy slowly gaining more slaves, and an anonymous person inside The Embassy subtly tipping off Elisif on the slaving going on.- Will happen when _A New Order _ends.****

****2. **_A Trophy Wolf. _Krev the Skinner/Female Khajiit Dragonborn. This one will focus on the Dovahkiin going absolutely crazy during the battle with The Silver Hand, and screwing everything up. She injures Aela the Huntress, misses Krev, and runs off into the wild. Krev leaves the fort with only her armor and a spear, planning on killing the werewolf that slaughtered her men. What ensues is a sort of Moby-Dick and Ishmael rivalry that will somehow morph into a twisted romance only Krev feels. The Dovahkiin will be transformed into a werewolf throughout all of this story, but she'll still have POV chapters.- Will happen after _The Wolf Queen's Bitch _ends.******

**3. _The Path of Those Before Us. _A sequel to _A New Order.- _Will happen after _A Trophy Wolf _or _Revolting _ends.**

_**A New Order**_** is done, so look out for _Revolting. __The Wolf Queen's Bitch _will end within eleven chapters, so also watch out because _A Trophy Wolf _might come out before 2015.**


	32. The Path of Those Before Us: Slavery

**Serana POV:**

I'm snuggling with my lover when I hear a banging on my door, and my mother screams from outside, "Serana! Open this door right now, it's your mother!". I snarl, "I KNOW it's my mother! Go away!". The banging increases. "I swear to Molag Bal I'll break this door down if you don't answer!". I sigh, apologetically kiss my lover's nose, and answer the door. My mother shoves her way inside with a gigantic tome in her hands. She turns to me with a smirk on her face, but it drops when she realizes I'm naked. She sneers and says, "Go lie in bed, I don't want to see your disgusting body.".

I hold in my growl and climb back beside my lover, the Khajiit nuzzling my neck and assuring me, "Your flesh is perfect.". I rub her mane and tell her, "As is yours.". My mother gags, leaps on our bed, and pushes her way in between us. We both use the covers to hide ourselves, and when my mother is solidly in between us I ask, "What now?". Valerica smirks and says, "I found a reason why-". She turns to my lover. "you and-". She flips around to me, "you shouldn't be together. And, why Khajiit's are _obviously_ inferior to Nords.". My friend grinds her teeth and hisses, "Please, tell us.". My mother nods, slams the book on her thighs, and says, "I found this in the library at Solitude. Apparently, a lot of things have been happening since I disappeared.". She hands me the book, wraps her arm around me, and encourages, "Read the title!".

I look down at the cover and read, '_Inhumane Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in Morrowind.'. _The book cover features an Argonian man and a Khajiit woman, both of them chained by unseen masters and forced to the invisible ground. I scoff, shove the book at my mother, and say, "Morrowind stayed out of the slaving business, only the Nords and Orcs practiced it.". I see my mother's face fall as she realizes it and a spark of joy lightens my mood, but my lover clears her throat. We both turn to her and she gingerly takes the book from me as she shakes her head. I feel my eyes widen as I ask, "What?".

The Khajiit clears her throat and ask, "Have either of you heard of Tiber Septim?". My mother scoffs and says, "Who in oblivion is that?". My Khajiit lover blinks and explains, "He's the ninth divine.". Valerica laughs and snarls, "There is no 'ninth divine'. There's only the eight.". My lover opens her mouth to speak, pauses, closes it, and finally asks, "How long were you two gone? Was Cyrodill even founded? Was Elsweyr discovered? Was Lord Indoril Nerevar reincarnated as The Nerevarine? Did the Hero of Kvatch defeat Mehrunes Dagon?". My mother and I look at one another, but I answer, "Cyrodill was just a small territory, Elsweyr wasn't founded, Lord Indoril Nerevar just died, and I have no idea who the Hero of Kvatch is. Now, what do you mean slavery was apparently practiced by Dunmer?".

My lover looks absolutely shocked as she whispers, "You've missed so much.". She speaks up. "I'll need to tell you a lot of important stuff about history eventually, but for now I'll focus on slavery.". She runs her fingers along the book's cover as she says, "There once was a man named Tiber Septim. He raised Cyrodill to glory, outlawed slavery, and his rule is referred to as one the greatest in history. However, the Dunmer saw it as their right to have slaves, and said he was going against their beliefs by outlawing it.".

"From what I've read Tiber Septim was a respectful and cunning leader, so he allowed the Dunmer to continue slaving as long as it didn't spread outside their borders. The elves were more than pleased, and continued their slaving. They originally captured Argonians, but eventually expanded their capturing to Khajiits. It was easy for them to catch my people. Back then we were little more than a few tribes, and rivals were always happy to sell their captured enemies for a few jugs of beer. Tiber Septim stopped slavery in every province besides Morrowind, but didn't even blink at this. Argonians and Khajiits were the only 'beast' races, so the public had little problem with us being enslaved. It took centuries after Tiber Septim's death for the practice to die out, and even then there was always underground slaving. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still going on to some small extent today.".

When she falls silent I shake my head and deny, "That can't be it. Only Nords and Orcs slaved, and they only did so to their fallen enemies. So, it was usually just elves.". The Khajiit sighs, gives me an exasperated look, and tells me, "You were asleep when all of this happened, I spent my entire life learning about this. Not to mention dealing with the consequences of my ancestor's fight for freedom.". We all sit silent for a few minutes, my lover allowing me to digest the new knowledge as she strokes the book cover. It's a hard thing to accept. I can't believe some ancient king outlawed slavery, but allowed it to continue on in one area.

Why didn't he just stop it all at once? The Dunmer didn't have slaves when I was around, so what suddenly caused them to see it as their 'right' to own Khajiits and Argonians? My musings are cut off by my mother flipping around to face me, a triumphant smirk on her face. Before I can say anything she says, "There! Proof she's inferior to you! Her damned ancestors were slaves! You can't fuck the descendant of an enslaved Khajiit!". I shake my head and sigh, "You're grasping for straws to keep us apart. Leave.". My mother opens her mouth to hiss, but the stern look on my face quickly sends her scuttling. When she's gone I slide over to my lover and wrap her in my arms, nuzzling her neck as I ask, "Were the Khajiit really enslaved?".

She sighs and answers, "Yes Serana, my people were enslaved a few hundred years ago. You were asleep when it all happened.". I nod into her neck and allow the conversation to drop, the Khajiit eventually putting the book to the side and cuddling with me. As we enjoy one another's presence she asks, "Do you have any plans?". I playfully lick her neck and say, "One.". She chuckles and promises, "Later. Right now I want to know if you would mind going somewhere with me.". I keep cuddling her as I ask, "Where?". She rubs my back and answers, "Whiterun.". I shrug and tell her, "I've never even heard much about Whiterun. The only time I've been there is with you, and that was only for a short while. In all honesty, I'm not sure I like the city.".

My lover promises, "You'll love it once you get to know it. I need to find out my destiny, and I want you to come with me. Will you, please?". I pretend to consider for a moment, then kiss her and answer, "Of course.". She smiles and goes back to cuddling. When we're settled I say, "On one condition.". The woman pulls back and cautiously ask, "What?". I smirk and whisper, "I get to lick your cunt one time before we leave.". The Khajiit swallows and whispers, "Do you want-". I shake my head and answer, "I want this to be about you. There'll be plenty of time to fuck later, but right now I want to focus on you.". She opens her mouth to say something, but I quickly pin her and roughly dominate her in a kiss. Our fangs scrape together and I can't help groaning in satisfaction.

I quickly pull back and slide down the woman's body, the covers coming up over my head. I spread her legs and look at her weeping entrance, pride rising in my chest as I bring my hands up to play with her tits. I'm about to lap at her cunt when someone banging on the door interrupts me. I shoot back up the bed, fight my way out of the covers, and scream, "WHAT?!". I hear my mother frantically scream, "Serana, come quick! It's an emergency!". In an instant I fling open the door, my mother standing right outside. I step out into the hallway and ask, "What's wrong?".

I turn and see my mother glaring as she says, "My daughter was about to fuck an overgrown cat.". My mother speeds away before I can respond. I go back into my room and see the Khajiit still lying in bed. I cough and ask, "Do you still want to-". She shakes her head and assures me, "I love you, but your mother screaming is about as arousing as watching a dog cough up a dead fish.". I nod in understanding and say, "Okay, then let's get dressed and go find your destiny.". We both rise, put on our armor, and grab our weapons. My lover and I hold each other's hands and leave the room, my friend giving Garan Marethi a few orders before we exit the castle. We're forced to swim to the shore, but the water is calm and it only takes us a few short minutes.

As we walk I ask, "Why do you want to face your destiny? Why exactly are we going to Whiterun?". My Khajiit friend easily answers, "I was suppose to meet the Jarl of Whiterun a long time ago, but I never went to see him.". I rub her arm and question, "What does that have to do with your destiny?". My lover shakes her head. "It's too crazy, you'll think I'm insane. Besides, it's a long story.". I stroke her hand and reassure her, "I'd never think you're crazy, and I have some time to kill.". My friend takes a deep breath before answering, "When I entered Skyrim I was captured by The Thalmor and sentenced to execution, so they took me to a city named Helgen with the rest of the criminals.".

"Right before I was suppose to be executed a black dragon swooped out of the sky and interrupted the procedure. I followed a member of The Legion out of the city, and followed him to a city called Riverwood. His uncle told me I needed to do to Whiterun and speak to the Jarl, but I never did because I was too afraid to. Durnehviir is a dragon and I was saved by a dragon, so I'm just assuming that was the 'destiny' Durnehviir was talking about.". I nod my head and tell her, "You don't sound crazy. It sounds like an odd story, but I believe you.". The Khajiit smiles and nuzzles her head against my shoulder as we walk. After a few minutes of silence, I clear my throat to speak.

"How much of history have I missed?". My lover chuckles and answers, "A lot. I'll tell you what, you educate me on why the gods exist and I'll educate you on history. Deal?". I nod in agreement, but ask the woman, "What do you think we'll find on your destiny?". Fear flashes across her face and she mumbles, "Monsters, bandits, and demons.". I stroke her arm soothingly, but don't say anything. We both walk in a comfortable silence, neither of us feeling the need to say a single word. My mind wanders without cause or reason, but mostly focuses on information I've just learned. Khajiits were once slaves, Dunmer thought along the divine right theory, and my mother will never let my lover live down the fact she's the descendant of slaves. The cold winds lick us and I close my eyes, allowing my mind to go blank.


	33. Before the Storm

When I open my eyes we're farther south than I would ever think possible, the summer air finally warming up. Crisp green grass grows along the cracked stone path, the fields around us gently dance in the lavender smelling breeze, and the sun is shining down on us. The last one is rather uncomfortable, but I'm sure I would enjoy it if I was still a mortal. It suddenly occurs to me my friend and I haven't fed in quite some time, we didn't even grab a drink in the castle. We need to start staying on top of our feedings. Some vampires enjoy the advantages not feeding gives them, but I focus too much on the negative effects to think very highly of withholding my urge to drink blood.

I look over and realize how horrible it must be for my friend. She's a lot younger than me, so feeding is even more important for her. Right now her blonde fur is nearly white, her fangs are almost touching her chin, and her eyes are a milky pink. I'm going to have to get us some blood when we reach Whiterun. Thankfully that's not very long. When we reach the stables outside the city I curl my nose in disgust. The smell of horse shit, human waste, and sweat have been sitting in the heat for hours. I look over behind the stables and see the city's sewer system is pouring out right behind the stables, turning the ground to disgusting wet filth. The horse's pens aren't any better.

I don't even look inside, I just hurry my friend by the place. When we reach the gates the guards quickly step to the side, obviously they remember us. When we're inside the city I ask the woman, "Where do we go?". The Khajiit points towards a gigantic castle that rests above the city. I fall silent as we walk up to it, all of the citizens giving us a wide berth. When we reach the castle my lover whispers, "Dragonsreach.". I go ahead and assume that's what the place is called. I push the door open for my friend and go in after her, taking in the room.

The gigantic place is furnished for royalty, a huge fire burns in the middle of the hall, and banners with the seal of the city hang everywhere. I get a sinking feeling whoever runs this city is an ass. Three people are in the hall, one female Dunmer and two male Nords. The Nords whisper to one another as the Dunmer draws her sword, rushing to meet us as we walk up the stairs to the main hall. The woman blocks our path and snarls, "Who dares to interrupt the Jarl?". My friend is the one to answer. "I came here to speak about the dragon attack at Helgen.". The woman's eyes widen and she says, "Nobody knows about that. Please, go to him.". Her eyes narrow and she promises, "But I'll be watching both of you _very_ closely.". All three of us turn and walk up the lengthy hall, the Nords falling silent as we approach.

The Jarl puffs up his chest as he demands, "Who dares to disturb me while I'm holding counsel?". My friend lets go of my hand as she moves forward, diverting attention away from me as she says, "I came here because of the dragon attack at Helgen.". The man's eyes widen and he says, "Nobody knew about that. How did you?". The Khajiit calmly says, "I had a perfect view from the chopping block.". The man clears his throat. "Oh. Well, why are you here?". My friend's tail flicks as she answers, "The people of Riverwood begged me to come here to plead for your help.".

The man nods, turns to the Dunmer woman, and commands, "Go send some soldiers down to the city to protect it.". The woman bows and hastily says, "As you wish, m'lord.". She turns and rushes away as the Jarl rises. He motions for us to follow him and says, "Come.". While we follow him he continues, "My court wizard is looking for someone like you to help him with a little 'project' of his. Trust me, it's an easy task. I'll give you your rewards afterwards.". I interrupt him by asking, "What is it?". The man looks over his shoulder and asks my friend, "Will she be accompanying you? No matter, just don't let her get in the way.". I open up my mouth to scream every insult I can think of at the man, but my lover brushes my hand with her fingertips and tells the man, "She's my friend. Now, what is the task?".

The Jarl has led us into a small room where his court wizard is. The room is tiny, cramped, and fumes are constantly coming from an alchemy table. The wizard looks up from his work, sees my friend, and questions the Jarl, "Is this the one?". When the Jarl nods the wizard turns to my friend and says, "Do you wish to do a task for me?". When my lover shrugs he continues, "Go to Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieve the Dragonstone for me. Goodbye.". He goes back to his work. The Jarl clears his throat and apologizes, "He doesn't mince words. Please, go get the stone for him. It's important.". My Khajiit lover nods, but asks, "What's it look like?".

The wizard scoffs. "You'll know it when you see it.". My friend gives a forced chuckle and assures, "I won't. Tell me what it looks like.". The wizard sighs and snarls, "A stone. Now, GO!". The Jarl steps in between the wizard and my friend, quickly cleaning up the mess by apologizing, "He's been under a bit of stress lately. Please, go get it. If you bring back the wrong thing, then I'll blame him. Please, we need the stone.". My friend considers the offer, then nods and leaves the room. I nod once to the Jarl before following my lover, happy to leave this place. As we walk I ask, "What do you want to do now?". The Khajiit freezes and turns to me with a confused look on her face. "Get the stone like I promised.".

I chuckle and say, "Funny. We found out your destiny, now what do you want to do?". My lover's face is stoic as she reiterates, "I'm going to find the stone. I promised the Jarl, and I don't think my destiny simply stops there.". I swallow my shock and tell her, "Okay, lead the way.". When we resume walking I ask, "Where exactly is Bleak Falls Barrow?". The Khajiit hums for a few seconds before saying, "I think there's a path to it near Riverwood.". We both fall silent as we walk, quickly exiting Whiterun and continuing down the path. We're walking up a hill towards Riverwood when we run into trouble.

Three male Altmer dressed in robes stop us, demanding, "Do you worship Talos?". I shake my head in honesty, but the Khajiit shakes her head as quickly as she can. The Altmer nods and moves to leave, but without thinking I ask my lover, "I thought you worshiped Talos? You said something about him earlier.". The Altmer freezes, the lead elf smirks and turns back to the Khajiit. My friend swallows, lets out an obviously fake weak chuckle, and hisses at me, "Shh!". The Altmer takes one gigantic step towards my lover, using his body to cut her off from me as he questions, "Well? **DO** you worship Talos?". The Khajiit shakes her head and says, "No! No! Not at all! My friend was just-". He cuts her off by quietly snarling at her. He does it quietly enough his companions can't hear his words, but I can.

"_I don't like you. I think you're a worship of Talos._". He continues in a normal voice. "Worshiping Talos is going against the empire. And, it's considered traitorous to the religion of the people. Now, I'll give you two options. Die, or come with me back to my leader. She's always interested in Khajiit bitches.". The woman shakes her head and growls, "I'd rather die than meet your fucked up ambassador.". The man sighs before screaming, "Fine! Now you shall die a heretic's death!". Without warning the three Altmer burst into their attacks. I barely manage to dodge a fireball from one of them, shooting a spike of ice back at him.

It pierces his thin robes and destroys his chest, the dead man falling to the side. My friend has tackled the leader to the ground, both of them using their fists to fight one another. The remaining one attempted to sneak up on me, but I easily detect him and flip around. He's only a foot away from me, looking up at me in fear. I smile and raise my foot, bringing it down on his skull. I turn and see my friend slowly standing, her front covered in blood. She cleans herself up and tells me, "Next time, don't tell people I worship Talos. It's not good. Now come on, we need to get to Bleak Falls Barrow.". She begins walking before I can say anything. I catch up to her and ask, "Why can't you worship Talos?". She clears her throat and says, "It has to do with a war and lots of history. All you need to know is that the elves are basically fucking everyone up the ass.".

"Since they don't like Talos everyone has to hate Talos. If you like Talos you have to worship him in secret, or the elves will fuck you even harder. And kill you afterwards.". I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it's clear my lover doesn't want to talk about it so I let it drop. We continue up the path, the world around us slowly changing. Snow covers the crinkly grass, the dead trees, and the mountains trapping us from either side. The wind slowly begins to pick up, moaning and groaning in our ears. We walk faster. Eventually we come out on the other side of the pass, the world changing once again.

The fields return, a few brave trees have taken root, and rocks begin to scatter the ground. The wind picks up even more, and the sun has disappeared behind some clouds. My friend becomes bored and pulls out Auriel's Bow. She takes one of the Blood Cursed Arrows out and loads it, idly playing with the string. I love the woman, but I have a bad feeling about her fooling around with the weapon. I cough to get her attention and gently advise her, "Maybe you shouldn't play with that.". The Khajiit scoffs and says, "I know what I'm doing.". The sun suddenly comes back out and both of us groan, but we keep walking. As we walk my friend takes aim at a rock and says, "When I was little I would practice my archery every day. Firing at rocks.".

She lets the arrow fly. When we walk by it she picks it up and reloads. "After I got older I wanted to hunt.". She fires at a tree and a body falls out from it. When we pass the squirrel she yanks the arrow out of its body, loading her bow once again. She licks her lips as she says, "Eventually I got so good I was even able to kill the monsters of the woods.". She fires at what I think is a red rock, but the thing screams and falls over. When we reach it I see it's a saber tooth cat. She yanks the arrow from its side and we keep walking. She points at the sky and finishes, "Around the time I was twenty I had a game I would play with myself.

I would find a big open field to stand in, look up at the sun, and fire a single arrow. I would see how long it would take before I ran away. I have more than one scar on my body because of my stubborn personality, thankfully I lost that attitude with time. My mother was against me having a bow at all, so I had to do all of this in secret. Finally, the cowardice got to me and I never shot again until I got to Skyrim.". She lets the final arrow fly. I grab her wrist and say, "No more. You've had your fun, now no more shooting.". The Khajiit scoffs and asks, "What's it hurting? Nothing bad is going to happen. Name a single thing that could go wrong.". The sky suddenly darkens and we both look up. The sun turns red, the color spreading out throughout all of the sky. I sigh, slowly turn to my frozen friend, and tell her, "That.".

* * *

><p><strong>Note: It has come to my attention in the last chapter I stated Serana wasn't aware what Whiterun was. However, in 'A New Order' she visited the city. I corrected the error swiftly and the conversation has been slightly altered.<strong>


	34. Bleak Falls Barrow

My lover keeps looking at the sun and whispers, "Do you think anyone will notice?". I hold in the thousands of sharp remarks I can think of and instead tell her, "It's probably causing mass chaos and confusion, but the Jarls can handle it. I'd be more worried about the clergies of Skyrim, they're probably having a field day yelling at people about angry gods.". The Khajiit seems the tiniest bit relieved. I pat her on the shoulder and say, "Come on, the Jarl is probably on the edge of his chair waiting for us.". We both begin walking again, but this time my lover keeps her bow securely on her back.

It suddenly occurs to me that the sun is no longer beating down on me, and I don't feel like I'm being cooked alive. My lover must feel it to because she perks up a little and tells me, "Having the sun blacked out isn't all that bad, we'll have to do it more often. How long do you think it'll last?". I look up at the sun before answering, "I don't think it will last very long. Blocking the sun out is an amazing feat, but the ramifications of it lasting forever would be dire. Crops would shrivel up, all of our internal clocks would be thrown off, and I'm certain this would be a depressing existence for mortals.". The woman doesn't say anything, but nods in agreement as we begin heading up the final mountain path. Snow begins to eat up the world around us, two hills rise up on either side of us, and the entire land seems to have a red tint to it.

We're only walking for a short while before we see the tremendous black barrow rising in the distance. We both draw our weapons and charge up the steps, yelling battle cries as we storm. However, not a single bandit attacks us. I turn to my lover and she shrugs. We both begin walking to the entrance with our weapons at our sides, and quickly find where the bandits are. All three of them are curled up on the ground behind the pillar closest to the door, their arms around each other as they shake in terror. All three sets of eyes see us and the bandits freeze up. My lover chuckles and curls her lips, letting out a long and loud _hiss_.

The three people yowl as they bolt away from their barrow, the bandits throwing their weapons and belongings behind them in their efforts to go faster. I let out a small laugh and clap the Khajiit beside me on the back. "Not bad.". She nods and says, "Thanks, let's just hope the ones inside are as easy to deal with.". We push open the door, but instantly the woman beside me crouches down and sneaks forward. I shrug and do the same thing as her. The gigantic circular room is littered with stone rubble, and we pass by the body of a bandit as we crouch along across the floor. We back sure to be careful not to make any noise. As we draw closer to the pillar in the center of the room we hear a conversation between what I'm assuming are two bandits.

A feminine voices asks, "So we're just supposed to sit here while Arvel runs off with that golden claw?". A masculine voice easily answers, "That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking our necks.". The female's whines, "What if Arvel doesn't come back? I want my share from that claw!". The man snarls back, "Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble.". My friend turns to me and smirks, rolling backwards as she loads her bow. The Khajiit does an awkward crouching leap up in the air, _just_ high enough to clear the rubble separating us from the bandits. She releases the arrow and a choking noise rings around the giant room.

When my lover lands she begins rolling backwards like a woman possessed. It's only when she's safely behind a stone pillar I realize she's hiding. I inwardly curse and begin scrabbling after her, footsteps telling me the last remaining bandit is coming around to find whoever killed her friend. I barely hide in time, flipping around so the Khajiit is in front of me. The bandit turns the corner and gets an arrow to her skull, my lover proudly standing up and walking towards where the bandits were. We pass the small area where the two people set up, going down the stairs and the twisting corridors. A skeever leaps at us as we turn a corner, but another arrow ends the creature's pathetic life.

Eventually we reach an area with a dead bandit, three animal pillars on the wall, and a closed gate. My lover sighs and says, "Hang on a minute, I know how to handle this.". She flips the pillars a few times and yanks on the lever in the middle of the room, the gate opening and allowing us to continue our journey. As we walk through I tell her, "Impressive.". Her chest swells at the praise and she says, "Thanks.". We go down a circular staircase, a few skeevers attempting to stop us. The Khajiit leading the way doesn't even use her arrows, simply kicking the things in the head before continuing the walk.

In the next room we see a table with a few treasures, but we ignore all of them and keep going. We walk down a small hallway, a thick spider's web blocking our path. I use my dagger to cut it away, holding the sticky substance aside for my love to walk through. I follow her, but both of us instantly freeze. The medium sized circular room is covered in spider webs, and there's a male Dunmer currently caught in a web. When he hears us approach he begins struggling against his bonds and yells, "Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!". A huge frostbite spider scuttles down from the ceiling, but a gigantic bloody slash on its side reveals that it's been wounded recently.

A few arrows from my friend kills it and we're able to walk past the spider's corpse. However, one of the arrows killed the Dunmer. My friend curses, then asks, "You think this is the guy with the 'gold claw'?". I shrug and search his pockets, tossing the golden claw to my friend when I find it. She '_whoops_' in joy and tears down the remaining web, this time holding it to the side for me. We walk into the next cubical room, the dead surrounding us. We both groan and draw our weapons, already preparing for when the Dragur rise. Sure enough the creatures groan and get up when we walk by them, all of them attacking us.

The bags of bones burst apart like sacks of rancid meat, but I notice something about my friend that I haven't noticed in a while. She's holding back. She's terrified. And, I suppose she has a good reason to be. Her bow is useless in this type of fight, the room is too small and has nothing to jump up onto. The dragur are always charging at her, so she's constantly running backwards as she fires her arrows. And, more than once she runs into another dragur that's been patiently standing in wait of her. Not to mention her arrows don't always hit their marks, _clinking_ against the stone floor before rolling away. Finally, the last creature is dead. I go over and hold her hand, guiding her past the swinging wall trap.

The next room looks just the last one, but there are stairs in front of us and a large metal grate on the floor. More dragur begin to attack us, but arrows and spikes of ice take care of them all. We go up the stairs and across a stone bridge, but are stopped by swinging blades. My lover once again says, "Hold on.". She rushes across the tunnel and pulls a chain, making it safe for me to cross. We arrive at a large chamber with a waterfall, one final dragur bursting from a tomb. He doesn't even have time to groan, my friend is already firing an arrow at him. When he goes down my lover jumps into the shallow stream, the water rushing past a closed gate.

She pulls the chain to open it, then waits for me to come near her. We both walk through together, our hands seeking out one another. As we walk down the tunnel I rub my thumb against the back of her hand, both of us simply enjoying one another's presence. The water rushes out of a large hole in what can now be considered a small cave, but we have to take a small stone path the curves around the side. A dragur dares to look at us, and a spike of ice to the brain quickly kills it. We both chuckle and walk by it, another cave tunnel our only path. We open the iron door it leads us to, entering even deeper into Bleak Falls Barrow. We reach another swinging blade trap, but we do what we did at the last one.

We enter a room exactly the same as the last one, but this time there are only three dragur. I keep watching my lover for a sign of weakness, but this time she doesn't show it. Good. We go up the stairs and across the stone bridge, entering a long hall. We reach the end of it and find a sort of puzzle waiting for us. Three rings and one sort of 'key hole', three prongs where the claw's talons will go. The Khajiit looks at the claw and mumbles. She reaches out and flips the rings around a few times, then puts the claw's talons in the holes and twist the 'key'. When she pulls back the claw the stone wall groans and slowly lowers. We both '_whoop_' in happiness and walk up the stone steps.

The next area is a gigantic cave complete with a small pond, an opening to the sky, and a mysterious wall near an ancient sarcophagus. We both slowly walk up to the wall, bats swooping overhead as they scream. I examine the tomb while my lover looks at the wall. I flip around when I hear her scream in pain. She's on her hands and knees, twitching and crying. I rush over and kneel beside her. The Khajiit is looking at the ground, but she snaps up to look at me when I touch her in my attempt to comfort the woman. Her eyes are completely blue and give off a strange light. I say her name a few times, but she only seems to recognize me when the light is gone and her eyes have returned to normal. She manages to push herself to her feet and opens her mouth to say something, but the sarcophagus bursting open interrupts her.

I turn to fight, but my friend is ahead of me. The dragur doesn't even stand a chance. She's a flurry of claws and fangs, tearing the beast apart. I have to pull her away from the body, her jaws still snapping. When she's calmed down I ask, "Do you think the stone is around here? This seems like the end of the ruin.". She nods and says, "I know where dragur hide their precious things.". I stand back and tell her, "Go ahead.". The Khajiit goes over to the dragur, kneels down, and rips open his guts. She pulls a gigantic stone from his organs and holds it triumphantly above her head. She stands up, happily flips around to me, and says, "Let's go!". She rushes off and all I can do is chuckle as I follow her, my lover already ahead of me.


	35. Dragons

We approach Whiterun cautiously, the gates completely unguarded. My lover tries to open the door, but it remains stuck. The Khajiit presses against it a few times before turning to me and saying, "Looks like they've barricaded the door. You still want to go in? They might rip us limb from limb, or throw us in vats of boiling oil. The townspeople are probably terrified, and seeing the two of us busting down the door might send them over the edge.". I look up at the wall that surrounds the city and suggest, "We can always sneak over the wall. They might still see us, but there's a better chance we'll go unnoticed. Besides, if they think we've been in the city the whole time they won't have reason to turn on us.".

My lover shrugs. "I guess we'll go over the wall.". I nod and we both begin walking along the towering stone barrier, searching for an area that's a little shorter than all the rest. When we fine a place the _tiniest_ bit shorter than the rest I go over to the wall, raising my hands above my head and pressing them against the wall. My lover scrabbles up my back, standing on my shoulders. She crouches down, decides where to jump, and leaps straight up off my shoulders. When she's secure I grab onto her ankles, yanking myself up her back. I do the same thing she did to me, but I'm able to simply step onto the wall. I slowly turn around, grab my lover, and yank her up beside me.

We hear a guard coming and quickly fall down the wall and into the city. I'm completely fine, but I hear a _snap_ come from my love. The guard must hear it to because he rushes up to us. I'm smashed on top of my lover, my new cape falling over us. My lover and I snap our heads over to look at him. He takes one look at us before groaning and walking back. I climb off of the Khajiit and ask, "Are you okay?". The woman examines herself, but carefully reaches out and touches her knee. She hisses and says, "It's sore, but I can walk on it.". I help her up and demand, "Be careful. I'll get you some painkillers eventually, but don't push yourself.".

The woman mumbles something to assure me, then begins to walk to the main square. Everything is boarded up, the place is abandoned, and the few guards look edgy. My lover chuckles under her breath and tells me, "I love this. No mortals to bother us, the sun can't reach us, and it's dark.". I reach out and take her hand as I agree, "It's nice.". The rest of the walk to Dragonsreach is spent in silence. When we enter the palace I note, "It's weird this place isn't boarded up. This is where the Jarl lives, it's the most important place in the city.". My lover agrees, "It's weird, but the doors are gigantic. It would take a ton of boards to lock this place up, and someone might need to see the Jarl. We should count ourselves lucky.". Silence once again consumes us.

My love guides me over to where the wizard is, but he's currently having a conversation with a cloaked woman as she leans over a book. "You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts.". The woman answers by saying, "Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers.". The man assures her, "Oh, have no fear. The Jarl himself has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to this research.". The cloaked figure looks skeptical. "Time is running, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back.".

He motions with his hands as he says, "Yes, yes. Don't worry. Although the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable... Now, let me show you something else I found... very intriguing... I think your employers may be interested as well...". The woman notices us and tells him, "You have a visitor.". The wizard looks at my lover and says, "Hmm? Ah, yes, the Jarl's protege! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die, it seems.". My Khajiit friend puffs up her chest and assures him, "Nope, I'm alive and well. Do you want your damned stone?".

Farengar eagerly comes near us and says, "Yes! Yes! Give it to me!". My lover pulls it from her armor and hands it to him, but tells him, "I found it in a dragur's gut. Wasn't a pretty picture.". The Nord strokes the stone and doesn't answer. However, the cloaked woman steps forward and grabs my lover's attention. The unnamed figure eyes my love as she compliments, "Impressive. You went into Bleak Falls Barrow to get that thing?". The Khajiit shakes her head, motions towards me, and explains, "I had a LOT of help from my friend.". I step forward by my love's side and possessively put my arm around her, attempting to make it clear to the cloaked figure that the Khajiit is mine. However, I also need to be subtle. My love might not appreciate me openly 'claiming' her to prove a point.

I fully believe the 'your mine if I'm yours' if true, but I don't appreciate the way the cloaked woman is eyeing my lover. However, my 'claiming' does nothing to discourage her. The damned bitch is practically eye-fucking the Khajiit right in front of me. My lover doesn't even seem to notice, still puffing herself up in pride. I do something drastic and pull her closer to me, yanking her head towards me to whisper something in her ear. I say it quietly enough the cloaked woman can't hear. "_I love you_.". The woman turns to say something to me, but I launch my attack.

I smash my lips to hers and roughly dominate her in a kiss, my hand possessively gripping her shoulder. When I pull back the woman's eyes are slightly glazed, but she quickly snaps out of it and mumbles, "Serana, what in oblivion-". We're interrupted by the Dunmer that guards the Jarl rushing into the room, turning to the wizard and telling him, "Farengar, come quick! A dragon's attacked at the Western Watch Tower!". The man straightens up and questions, "Really? What was it doing? How long ago was it spotted?". The elf snorts and says, "We have more important things to focus one. Everyone, follow me!". She turns and rushes away, the man right behind her. The cloaked woman pulls her cloak up higher on her head and says, "I'll be going.".

I nod and lead my lover to follow the wizard and guard, wrapping her closer to me. We follow the two people up to the loft, the area cleared besides a rug and table. The Jarl is standing alone and we all gather around him. I notice a random guard in the circle, but don't say anything. The Jarl turns to the guard and asks, "Tell me boy, what happened?". The guard nervously explains, "There was a dragon flying around near the Western Watch Tower. I was sent as soon as we saw the beast.". The Jarl nods and says, "Good lad, go get some rest.". He turns to the Dunmer. "Go to the tower and see if you can kill the beast. Remember, it's not a death or glory mission.". The wizard perks up and asks, "Can I go?". When the Jarl shakes his head the man sighs, but doesn't fight it. When it's clear the Jarl is done speaking everyone quickly disappear to do their duties.

The Jarl finally turns to my lover and begs, "Please go with Irileth and fight the dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience than anyone. Do this and your rewards will be great.". My lover nods and sighs, simply turning around and walking away. I nod in respect to the man, then rush to catch up with my lover. I put an arm around her shoulder as we walk, playing with her thick blonde mane. The Khajiit playfully wraps her tail around my waist, the feathery fur falling down nearly to my knees. How the woman keeps it from tangling up I'll never know, but she does it. When we're walking in the main city she realizes, "They didn't say anything about the sun.". I shrug and say, "They probably were more focused on the dragon. I'm sure they'll mention something later.".

When we reach the gate we have to wait for the guards to open the door, then we can safely pass. As we're leaving the city my lover asks, "So, what was that kiss for? I _loved_ it, but why?". I play with her mane as I answer, "That bitch was practically eye-fucking you in front of me. She's lucky she didn't look at you a little longer, or else I might have been tempted to feed from her.". The Khajiit chuckles and questions, "Are you serious? She looked about ready to tackle you in a second or two! I was worried she'd try something on you!". I shake my head and say, "We both know that's not true. Ysolda and that chick both looked at you like you were some sort of virgin queen waiting to get fucked by whoever dares to try.".

She shakes her head and disagrees, "It was you she was looking at! She didn't even glance at me!". I teasingly flick her mane and continue to disagree, both of us playfully arguing as we walk. However, we're interrupted by a roar. We both stop and realize we've reached the Western Watch Tower, and there's something flapping around off in the distance. The tower is destroyed, the sky is still red, and the guards are nowhere to be seen. I release my lover and take my fighting stance, but the _thing_ is already coming closer. The beast slams into the tower, curling around it and looking down at us. It cocks its head and rumbles.

I expect a blast of fire, but instead it does something I thought only Durnehviir could do. It speaks. However, it only seems to address my lover. "Dovahkiin! Flee now and I might let you escape with your life! Daar grah vis ni kos won naal hi! Winning this fight is beyond you! I am the mighty one who has survived while others have perished! I am the one the world eater has entrusted to kill you! Grovel or flee, it makes know difference to me! Either way I will spare you, but only barely.". He notices me and adds, "Beg me to let you go and I shall spare your bitch! I-". My lover interrupts by snarling, "What did you call her?!".

The dragon looks shocked to be interrupted and falls silent, staring dumbly at us. The Khajiit screams, "WHAT DID YOU CALL HER?!". The lizard blinks and snarls, "Your bitch is beneath-". My lover stops him by growling, "Flee now and I'll forgive you.". The beast laughs before asking, "Flee? You want _me_ to flee?! Duziir wiizaan! Flee or I shall kill you!". The woman calmly draws Auriel's Bow, aims it, and says, "Not this time.". She lets the arrow fly.

* * *

><p><strong>Here are the brief translations.<strong>

**Daar grah vis ni kos won naal hi!- This battle can not be won by you! **

****Duziir wiizaan!- Insolent whore!****


	36. Mirmulnir

**Dovahkiin POV:**

The monster roars as the arrow enters his eye, the dragon instantly shaking his head like wild. When he can't get the arrow out he stops fighting, opening his remaining eye and takes aim. The gigantic lizard opens his mouth and a fiery ball flies from his throat. Serana and I instantly flip away, the projectile harmlessly hitting the ground. The beast leaps from his tower, taking to the sky and flipping around so he's coming at me. His jaws snap open and he bathes the ground in fire, but I'm already running. I'm barely able to stay ahead of the trail of death, but somehow I manage it. The beast is forced higher in the air, and has to cut off his stream of fire.

I dig my heels into the ground and load Auriel's bow, turning around and taking aim at the beast. My arrow finds his side, cracking the scales and shredding the flesh beneath it. Blood splatters the ground a few feet away from me, but I pay it no mind. I'm already reloading, but the monster is angling himself to the ground. The entire area seems to shake as his weight hits the ground, the monster turning around and snarling. He opens his mouth and lunges his neck towards me, but Serana is already prepared for that. A spike of ice finds the animal's one remaining eye. The dragon screams in pain and begins shaking his head like wild, then desperately tries to take off into the air to escape.

He's screaming all the while, and I carefully take aim at his open mouth. My arrow finds its mark as the dragon is _just_ taking off. The monster gags and falls to the ground, his tremendous body doing a sick dance that rips up the ground around him. Serana and I both back away, allowing the creature to die without us huddling around him. Right before he dies the creature swivels his head at me (I'm not sure how he knows where I am, but he does) and screams, "Dovahkiin, nid!". Then, he lets out a roar of death. When he goes still I take a step forward, but Serana grabs my arm and says, "It could be dangerous, we should wait for the guards.".

I shake my head and tell her, "I just need to get my arrows back.". My lover looks hesitant, but allows me to go. The thing about the arrows was only half true. I also wanted to inspect the dragon before the guards get here. I have no idea why, but I have the urge to see the dragon. I'm only a few feet away from it when I hear what sounds like the crackling of fire. I instantly freeze and look at the dragon. His skin is slowly burning away with a strange glow, and tendrils of crackling white energy seem to come from its corpse. I'm not too concerned until the tendrils latch onto me. I scream and back away, but the energy follows me. That's when the pain starts. It's like fire is filling my veins, roasting me from the inside out.

I feel my body connect with the ground as I go into a horribly twisted jig, screaming in pain as the energy continues to cook me. Two strong hands flip me onto my back and I look up at Serana's face, the woman saying something I can't understand as she coddles me. It doesn't ease the pain, but eventually the energy stops. I whimper like a dog and curl up in Serana's arms, my body still shaking with aftershocks. My lover wraps her arms tighter around me and whispers in my ear. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here.". I slowly regain my breath and whisper to my love, "What happened?". Serana's face goes grim and she points my body in the direction of the dragon.

I can't hold in my gasp of surprise. The dragon is just bones, nothing else remains. I try to stand, but another wave of pain comes over me. I roar and fall onto my hands and knees, _something_ coursing through me. The energy inside of me seems to twist in on itself, rushing to my head until it feels like my skull is going to burst apart. Suddenly, the energy seems to burst. I fall to my side, exhausted. However, Serana is already there and helping me up. When I'm standing the woman says, "Come on, we need to get you to the healer.". I shake my head, my instincts telling me what to do. I turn to the dragon's skeleton, open my mouth, and release the tiny amount of energy I still have.

"_Fus_.". The creature's skull bounces a few feet away, my shout causing the skeleton to shiver before going still. I turn back to Serana and see her standing there in shock. She swallows and whispers, "What did you do?". Insecurity washes over me and I explain, "I don't know. It's like something deep inside of me knew what to do, and I just felt the need to do it.". Serana slowly walks up to me and asks, "Are you okay?". When I nod she takes my hand in her own and promises, "That's all I care about.". I smile at her, but hear the _thunk_ of metal falling on stone. Serana and I both turn to the path that leads back to Whiterun, and see ten people looking at us.

Irileth and nine guards are staring at us with wide eyes, and one of the men dropped his sword. I take one step towards them and eight of the guards have their weapons draw, but one pushes his way through. The man turns his back to us, raises his arms to stop his fellows, and screams, "Stop! Stop! She's the Dragonborn!". The Nord men all stop, and understanding seems to dawn on all of their faces. Suddenly, one of them screams, "Was that what the red sun was? Was it a sign of her coming?". The guards all mumble and Irileth seems to snap out of her trance. The Dunmer screams, "Secure the tower! Watch for dragons! I'm taking these two back to Whiterun!".

The elf forces our hands apart, stands in between us, and grabs both of our necks like we're dogs. She begins forcibly walking us back to Whiterun. If only she knew she was holding two powerful vampires by the back of the neck. When we're far away from the tower the woman releases both of us, yanking us around so we're looking at her. The Dunmer in only an inch away from me and gets in my face as she snarls, "I'm going to explain something.". She points towards the sun. "That has everyone _terrified_ of what's going to happen or what it means.". She points back at the guards. "They think it predicted your coming.".

She pokes me in the chest. "I don't know if you're the 'Dragonborn' or not, but that's what you're going to tell everyone. I don't give a damned what the red sun meant, but now it means that your coming was predicted. Understand? As far as these people are concerned you started heading to Whiterun and the sun turned red. And, you don't leave the damned city until that sun returns to normal. Understand?". Serana is behind the Dunmer and is puffing herself up in anger. I even swear I see her opening her mouth to bite, so I quickly agree, "Okay. If it'll calm the city down I'll do it.". Irileth puffs up her chest like Serana is, and the Dunmer tells me, "Damned right you will. Now, come on. We need to get back to the Jarl.".

The Dunmer takes the lead and walks roughly ten feet in front of us, leaving Serana and I alone. My lover takes my hand and whispers, "What was that? You just let her walk all over you!". I chuckle and whisper back, "It's better this way. I put the sun out, so it's only fair I find a way to fix it. It's not exactly 'fixing' it, but at least it'll calm people down. Besides, I need some time to figure out what 'Dragonborn' means. Do you know what it is?". The older vampire furrows her brow before admitting, "I think I heard it in passing briefly, or saw it once in one of my books. I'll find a book about it up in Dragonsreach, but I can't promise you I'll find anything. Ask the Jarl or someone, he might know.".

I nod as Irileth opens the door to Whiterun. We're walking into the city when the entire world seems to shake and a voice screams, "DOVAHKIIN!". Irileth curses as she pushes our backs, screaming, "MOVE! UP TO DRAGONSREACH, NOW!". Neither of us argue as we sprint up to the palace, a screaming Dunmer right behind us encouraging us to go faster. When we enter the place the Dunmer practically carries us to the Jarl, constantly pushing against our backs and snarling, "Faster faster faster! Move move move!". When we reach the throne the Dunmer yanks my lover over to the side, but motions for me to talk to the man.

I step forward, but before I can speak the Jarl asks, "What happened at the tower?". I swallow and explain, "It was destroyed, but we killed the dragon that resided there.". Irileth speaks up, "_She_ killed the dragon there, my men had nothing to do with it.". The man nods and says, "Impressive.". I clear my throat. "There's also another matter.". The man cocks his head and goes, "Oh?". I nod and go, "Oh. When the dragon died I _absorbed_ something from it. After that, it was just like my instincts took over. I open my mouth and well, I guess you could say shouted.".

The man blinks and asks, "Can you do it again? It might help if I saw what you were doing.". I nod and try to summon up the energy again, opening my jaws and letting out a, "_Fus_.". The man reels backwards as the shout washes over him, then straightens himself in his chair and whispers, "Dragonborn.". I sigh and say, "That's what one of the guards claimed I was. What does 'Dragonborn' mean?". The Jarl stands and says, "It means you need to go to High Hrothgar immediately. That thundering scream we just heard was them calling you. You need to go, The Greybeards need to speak to you.". I scoff and ask, "Greybeards?". The man nods and explains, "What you just used was 'The Voice'. The Greybeards are the masters of it, and can teach you what it is and how to use it.".

I open my mouth to speak, but the man interrupts me by saying, "Go! The Greybeards should not be left waiting.". I hold my ground and ask, "What about my rewards?". The man freezes up, waves his hand, and says, "I'll give you a house and a housecarl.". He raises his voice as he yells, "YOU HEAR THAT LYDIA?!". Someone yells back, "YES!". I nod, but turn to the Dunmer and ask, "What about the sun?". The Jarl turns to his bodyguard and questions, "Yes, what about the sun?". The woman easily explains, "The red sun was a sign of the woman coming, and I don't think she should leave until the sun is back to normal. At the very least, it will help calm the citizens down.". The man nods and mumbles, "Smart. Smart.".

He turns to me and says, "Feel free to explore the town, but don't leave until the sun has returned to normal. After that, I want you to go straight to The Greybeards.". I nod as the man goes back to his business, completely ignoring me now that I'm no longer of use to him. The Dunmer woman does the same, only offering me the faintest of glances before going to do something else. I feel Serana take my hand in her own, intertwining our fingers. I look over at my lover and she asks, "What do you want to do now?". I shrug and say, "I guess we should explore the city until the sun is normal. Maybe we can find a book on what it means to be 'Dragonborn'.". My lover nods and says, "Good plan.". We both turn and walk, heading down to the main city of Whiterun. I can only hope the sun returns to normal soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: So, my other story (Revolting) is gonna wrap up next chapter. The sequel was a lot shorter than I imagined, but it's more of a 'tying up slightly loose ends' type of sequel. I still enjoyed writing is and am glad I wrote it, but in retrospect I feel like I should have just reopened 'Disgusting' and written this there. I suppose it doesn't matter now, and I'm still extremely happy that I wrote Revolting. Now, I already have another story planned. I can't reveal many details at the moment, but the title is 'A Life Across the Ages'. The idea is actually thanks to <strong>Atraxotax.<strong> I'll give more details next chapter. Don't worry, the idea is great and I'm going to pull it off to the best of my abilities.**


	37. Escaping Whiterun

**Serana POV:**

The sun is still beating down it's strange red light, but the city is bustling and business seems to have returned to normal. However, the gate is now heavily guarded and boarded up. Looks like nobody is going to leave any time soon. My lover guides us to the inn, and at my off look explains, "I want to get a drink.". I raise an eyebrow and ask, "A drink or a 'drink'.". The Khajiit looks confused and questions, "What? You just said the same word twice.". I sigh, lean in, and whisper, "Beer or blood?". The woman pulls back and goes, "Oh. Both.". I chuckle and shake my head as she continues to pull me into The Bannered Mare.

The place is packed, but I only remember a few faces. The bard, Ysolda, and the innkeeper are the only people I could probably speak to without accidentally chasing them away. My lover yanks on my hand and leads me upstairs and into someone's room. A sleeping Redguard is in the bed, the pathetically small room almost too tiny to hold both of us. My lover asks me, "Do you have the wine skin?". I nod and hand her the empty sack, the Khajiit quickly leaning down. She eases her fangs into the woman's neck, slowly sucking in a mouthful of blood. When she pulls back her lips are smeared with blood, her cheeks distended to hold the liquid. My lover wraps her lips around the wine skin and slowly forces the liquid out of her mouth.

I quickly realize I should be keeping watch, and turn around and look out the door. Eventually the Khajiit pats me on the back, and when I turn around I see the sack is half full and she's wiped her face clean. I move out of the way and follow her downstairs, the woman going straight to the bar. She orders some spiced wine, then goes over and sits down at a table. The Khajiit pours the wine into the bag, offering the leftover substance to me. I shake my head, I was never a fan of plain wine. The Khajiit shrugs, downs the ordinary wine, and puts the cap in the wine skin. After a thorough shaking she offers the bag to me, and I happily take it.

Once I've gotten my fill I hand the bag to my lover. The woman thanks me and drinks as much as she can, but we still have a decent amount left over. Good, we won't have to feed again before we leave the city. I lick my lips as the liquid begins to warm my stomach. I open my mouth to speak to my lover, but someone interrupts us. Ysolda places her hands on my love's shoulder, leaning in and whispering in her ear. The Khajiit tenses, takes Ysolda's hands off her, and hisses, "If we must speak, then we shall speak another time.". The Nord looks disappointed, but throws a glare at me before walking away. My lover rolls her eyes and explains, "Ysolda's still a homewrecker. Wanted to see my upstairs.". We both chuckle, but we're cut off when a woman stumbles into the room.

The Redguard is shaky on her feet, her skin is paler than normal, and blood is covering her neck. My head snaps back to my lover and our eyes meet, her terror reflecting my own emotions. We both stand and begin walking out, but we hear the word the word the Redguard yells. "**Vampire**!". As the door closes behind us we hear Ysolda scream, "There's a vampire in Whiterun!". My lover and I don't look back, but we do have a conversation as we walk. I start by saying, "I forgot to tell you to clean her up. How do we get out of here?". My lover asks, "Is it wise to leave? The Jarl would be displease.".

I scoff. "Who gives a damned about the Jarl? He'll never know the difference. We just have to get out unseen. Do you want to climb over the wall again?". My lover shakes her head. "I have a better idea. Let's go up to Dragonsrech.". I take her hand and we begin walking up to the seat of the Jarl. My lover leads me through the building and onto a gigantic porch. The place is abandoned, and my love leads me over to the edge. The Khajiit straddles the small fence and steps over it, but I'm instantly grabbing her. "What are you doing?!". The woman looks confused and explains, "We're going to climb down the stones. It's completely unseen, and we're already closer to Ivarstead.". At my confused look she further explains, "Ivarstead has a path right to High Hrothgar.".

I shake my head and tell her, "Come on, we'll go climb the wall again. This is far too dangerous.". The woman steps back over the fence, but offers, "I can transform and just jump over. I'll use my wings to slow myself down. I can even carry you.". I hesitate and question, "Are you sure you can do it?". The woman nods and promises, "I know I can.". I sigh and say, "Transform away, but give me your stuff first.". My love nods and gets naked, handing me all of her things and quickly transforming. I hardly have time to yelp as the vampire lord picks me up, then instantly leaps over the small fence.

I can't help screaming as we fall, my lover still holding in her wings. I begin desperately smacking her chest in the hopes she'll get the hint, but her wings stayed closed as the ground speeds up to meet up. We're about halfway down when the woman's muscles tense and her two appendages are forced out. My lover screams as the wind punches her wings, attempting to rip them from her body. Her muscles tense even more, forcing her wings to stay out. The rest of our descent is slow and steady, my lover aiming for a clear part of ground. When we land my love puts me down, quickly transforms back, and dresses. I feel a surge of power resonate in my body, and instantly look up at the sky. The sun has set and the moon is out. Perfect.

My lover pulls out her map, turns a few paces right, and begins walking. She puts up her map and tells me, "If we walk nonstop we'll be there before the sun rises.". I catch up to her and put my arm around her shoulders. After a few minutes in silence, I remember Ysolda once again trying to get my lover to agree to fuck her. That Nord bitch did it the last time we were in Whiterun, but back then the Khajiit and I weren't together. It still bothered me, but now it bothers me even more. What in oblivion is wrong with that woman? What sick person not only wants to fuck someone who's in a committed relationship, but specifically goes out of her way to do so?

I have full faith in my lover, but I still don't trust Ysolda. I need to put my mind at ease, so I ask the Khajiit, "Do you think Ysolda is better than me?". The woman was lost in thought, but snaps out of it and answers, "Not by a long shot.". I rub her shoulders and ask, "Why do you think that?". The Khajiit chuckles a little (she seems to realize why I'm asking) and assures me, "You're smarter, prettier, tougher, I prefer your company over hers any day, and you're a far better person that her.". I grumble and tell my love, "I'm _not_ a good person.". The Khajiit looks shocked. "What makes you think you aren't a good person.". I show off my fangs as I answer, "I'm a vampire. We're naturally evil.".

My lover shakes her head, winds her arm around my waist, and tells me, "I don't believe that. You haven't murdered anyone, you love me, and you haven't stolen anything. And, now you're helping me discover my destiny and save people. You can argue as much as you want, but I think you're a good person. Or my moral compass has been shattered and we're both evil.". I lean in and nibble her neck (ignoring the fur) as I say, "I like the second idea.". My lover flicks her ear and hisses, "Not here.". I playfully bite her neck and tell her, "I have no idea what you're talking about.". The Khajiit swallows and mumbles, "Not now. We need to get to Ivarstead.".

I bring my other hand up, push aside her armor, and begin to stroke her stomach as I once again lie, "I have no idea what you mean. I'm not doing anything.". My lover tightens the grip on my waist and promises, "I swear to you I'll rent a bed in Ivarstead before we head up to High Hrogthar, but we can't do anything right now.". I bite her neck again. "Why not? Nobody's around.". My Khajiit lover and I are going at a pathetically slow pace as she explains, "I don't like the thought of doing anything on the filthy ground, and there's always the chance we'll be attacked. I don't want to fight bandits naked.". I sigh and disentangle myself from her, settling on holding the woman's hand.

We're only walking for a few more minutes before we enter a mountain pass. The freezing air tries to bite at us, but our dead flesh is uncaring. However, we meet someone on the winding trail in between the two high mountains. The huntress sees us and urges her horse forward, dismounting when she's close to us. My lover and I awkwardly stop, the woman pulling items from her saddle and rushing up to us. Her arms are full of pelts and meat. The woman happily exclaims, "I have all sorts of wears! Care to buy?". My lover drops my hand and steps forward, examining what the woman has to offer. I sigh and tell the Khajiit, "Come on, we don't want-".

Before I can react my lover lunges forward, her claws coming up and shredding the woman's throat. The hunter falls to the ground, her blood spewing out and turning the snow to pink mush. The horse screams and rears, but the Khajiit is already grabbing onto his reins. She shushes him and calms him down, slowly stroking the stallion's side. I haven't looked up from the huntress's body. I don't look at my lover as I whisper, "You killed her.". The Khajiit looks over her shoulder and agrees, "I killed her. She has food, better armor, and a horse. Her loot is worth more than her life. You can have the armor, I'll put the food and pelts back in the horse's pack.". She releases the beast and begins picking up the woman's items, returning them to where they were.

While she does that I changed into the huntress's armor, putting my own armor in a safe place. The Khajiit was right, this armor is far superior to my own. I have no idea why she gave it to me. I shrug it off as my lover mounts the horse, offering me her hand and helping me onto the steed. The woman turns the horse and kicks his sides, the beast galloping away. As we ride I ask my love, "Why did you kill her? That seems out of character for you.". The Khajiit chuckles and explains, "I'm a coward, but I have no problems killing the unprepared or weak. If they have good enough items and I'm sure I can take them, then I'll kill anyone. I've killed more hunters than I care to admit. They're all so busy prattling on about their wears, keeping their horses in place, and assuring me they aren't poachers. They don't even see the kill coming, and once they're gone I can take their stuff.".

I'm a little surprised to learn my lover's killed people for their items. However, it I think about it the fact isn't that surprising. The cowardly yearn for power, and they'll take it whenever and wherever they can. But my lover isn't as cowardly anymore, so she might fall out of that habit. My thoughts are interrupted by my lover stopping. I look over her shoulder and see a small city in front of us. The Khajiit explains, "We're here.". I lean in and nibble her neck as I whisper, "I think you promised to get a room.". The woman swallows and says, "That I did.". She kicks the horse into the side and rides into town. A smirk crosses my face. This is going to be a fun evening.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I have a few announcements. I'm first going to say I've officially scratched 'A Trophy Wolf'. I don't think it would be very good, and basically 'Moby Dick' rewritten. I might revive it later, but it'll be a while. My other story (Revolting) is over, so I'm going to work on another story. Not just that, but because of circumstance I'm going to work on three stories at a time. It'll extend the update time to three days, but it'll be worth it. I'll be working on 'A New Order'(technically 'The Path of Those Before Us), 'A Life Across the Ages' (that idea is thanks to Atraxotax), and one of the reader's choice. 'The Path of Those Before Us' is already started, but I'll give you a small definition of 'A Life Across the Ages'.<strong>

**The pairing is Dovahkiin/OC and romance/adventure. It'll be about an intelligent female Khajiit Dovahkiin who relies more on magic than swords, is the Arch-Mage at The College of Winterhold, and believes herself more of a scientist than a warrior. She's currently focused on examining the gargoyles that are found in crypts and vampire's lairs. She'll discover something extremely shocking about the stone beast, and it'll lead her to a certain someone who's in need of her friendship and guidance.**

**Now, onto the third story that I'll need reviews and messages to recommend which one to do. I don't think I'll open a poll on my profile, so don't bother looking for that.**

**Maid in Whiterun. Female Kahjiit Dovahkiin/Irileth. Romance. The Dovahkiin is poor, unskilled, and cowardly. All she knows is how to cook simple meals and clean up messes. She's a beggar on the street when Fianna (the maid to the Jarl) up in Dragonsreach dies. Gerda is too young and inexperienced to do the job right, and Jarl Balgruud is more than displeased. Balgruuf demands Irileth find him a new maid by sunset, or else he'll personally go find one. The Dunmer is thinking of his safety as she goes and looks for a maid. She finds the Khajiit desperately working at The Bannered Mare for Hulda. The woman cleans up messes as soon as they're made, cooks, is paid next to nothing, and never complains. Irileth offers her a job at Dragonsreach, and the woman happily accepts. However, the elf quickly becomes distrusting and watches over the Khajiit 24/7. It's only after a while or spending time with her that the Dunmer admits to herself that she wants something more, but by then the poor Khajiit is already looking for work in her home province of Hammerfell.**

**Sticks and Stones. Female Khajiit Dovahkiin/Njada Stonearm. Romance/Adventure. The Khajiit got into a bar fight with one of the Gray-Manes, and ended up killing the bloke. The woman is locked up in prison to rot, but everyone is having trouble accepting the woman's fate. The Gray-Mane caused the fight, and the Khajiit has helped the city all her life. It's unfair in their eyes to lock her up. After a small protest, the Jarl releases the woman on one condition. She takes up the life of a priestess at the Temple of Kynareth, become a warrior of The Companions, or work as Adrianne the blacksmith's apprentice. The Khajiit chooses to join The Companions, but there's a major setback. Kodlak highly distrust the 'murderer'. He won't let any members of The Circle interact with her, refuses to talk to her, and makes sure she's under watch 24/7. Njada Stonearm is the only person who's willing to watch this 'killer'. However, Njada dreams of bigger and better things. When a dangerous mission makes itself available the Nord wants to go. Kodlak allows it, but she has to take the Khajiit. Njada grumbles, but takes the woman with her. Romance ensues.**

**Friends in Low Places. Female Khajiit Dovahkiin/Vex. Romance/Adventure. When Maven Black-Briar is caught harboring Thieves Guild members in her home, Laila Law-Giver finally has proof of Maven's corruption and sends guards to arrest them all. The members of the guild scatter, but Vex is just a _little_ too slow and ends up tripping. Everyone ends up getting a good look at her face, and knows who she is. Maven needs a scapegoat, and Vex is perfect. The guild tries to get Vex out of it, but Maven commands the woman be locked up. Vex is thrown in jail, and loses all faith in the Thieves Guild. The prison is overcrowded, and she's forced to share her cell with a lowly street urchin who made enemies in too high of places. The two work out a complex plan to get out, and it somehow works. The two have nowhere to go, and decide they may as well stick together. But the two have different plans. The urchin wants to go to Solitude and attend The Bard's College, then make a better life for herself. However, Vex wants to steal everything and anything until she's bigger than The Grey Fox, just so she can outshine The Thieves Guild. The two aren't going to see eye to eye, but they aren't going to leave one another either.**

**So, tell me what you think and which one you want.**


	38. Ivarstead

We dismount, tie our horse to a post, and go into the inn. For some reason everyone falls silent and eyes my lover. The long inn is packed full of people, and all of them have stopped what they're doing to look at us. The Khajiit doesn't do anything, but I can see the fur on the back of her neck beginning to stand up. I almost chuckle because it reminds me of a cat I use to have, whenever someone came up to him he would puff himself up. My father ended up kicking him so hard his neck snapped, but I tend to ignore that fact. My lover and I make our way over to the bar. The innkeeper completely ignores my friend, continuing to clean a dirty mug with a dirty rag.

My love clears her throat and the man finally looks up, but he looks more than displeased. The Khajiit pulls out some gold and places it on the counter, tentatively saying, "We'd like a room.". The fur on her arms is beginning to come to attention, and her tail is slowly doing the same. The man looks us both over, then flicks the gold away and snarls, "No damned cats in my inn.". The inn begins to rumble with people quietly talking. I expect to hear them complaining about the innkeeper not letting my friend rent a room, but it's quite the opposite. All of them are agreeing with the man, and a good chunk of them are snarling that my lover should leave. My lover sighs and looks ready to leave, but I'm not.

My love swore she would fuck me when we got a room at an inn, and I don't have any idea when we'll find another inn. I step forward and ask, "What about me? Can I get a room?". The man chuckles and says, "I'm always ready to rent a room to a proud Nord of Skyrim. Put the cat outside and I'll give you a room.". I suppose I could sneak my love in somehow or she could climb in a window, but she shouldn't have to go through so much trouble to get a room. I'm honestly confused about the situation, so I ask the innkeeper, "Why in oblivion can't my friend rent a room?".

The Nord man puffs himself up and tells me, "Ulfric Stormcloak won't allow damned Khajiit is his army or city, and I won't let any in my inn. And, if you keep talking about it I won't allow _you_ to rent a room. I'm not fond of friends of cats either.". I don't know who in oblivion Ulfric Stormcloak is, but I feel a seed of hate for him being planted in my heart. I go to say something, but something happens before I can. My lover and I have been walking for quite a while, so it's no surprise she's tired. The woman leans slightly against the bar, the side of her arm the only thing touching the wood. The man pounces like a saber cat on a fawn. He throws the liquid in his mug at the Khajiit, howling, "No cats on the table!". My friend's face gets soaked and she instinctively hisses, shaking her head and sending droplets of the liquid flying.

The inn erupts in laughter, the innkeeper laughing hardest of all. I feel my fangs itch for a neck to bite and take a step forward, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn and see my lover looking at me. She shakes her head and whispers, "There's too many. They aren't worth it. Please.". I look back at the innkeeper, the man now containing himself. The Nord smirks and snarls, "Now get out of my inn! I don't welcome cats and I don't welcome friends of cats!". My lover takes my hand and tugs me, but I remain in place. I need to memorize his face so I can smash it in at a later date.

The Khajiit's hand tugs harder and she whispers, "Please, he isn't worth the time. Come on.". I allow the woman to lead me out, but I look at all the faces around us. I have to fight back the urge to smash them all into a pulp. I might not be able to kill them, but I have an idea that'll give them another thing to get upset about. Right at the door I stop, pulling my lover around and positioning us so all the inn can see. I grab her and yank her to me, locking my lips with hers. The inn ignites like a fire, thousands of screams going up. "Whores!". "Cat fucker!". "Imperials!". I have no idea what the last one has to do with anything, but I'm certain it's an insult. I pull back and yank my friend out of the inn, both of us jogging a safe distance away. We end up stopping by a lumber mill, a woman currently yanking logs back and forth.

The first thing out of my lover's mouth is, "I'm sorry we couldn't get a room. I forgot this place is under Stormcloak control.". I wave my hands to stop her and ask, "Can you explain who Ulfric Stormcloak is? I'd like to beat his face in. And, why you couldn't rent a room?". The Khajiit assures me, "It'll take a few minutes.". I sit down on the ground. My love chuckles and sits down beside me, clearing her throat before she begins. "A few years ago the Empire of Cyrodill and the Altmer of the Summerset Isles got into a war. Keep in mind, the empire basically owns Skyrim at this point. Now, the Altmer were winning big time, so the emperor made a treaty to stop the war.".

"Not much changed, but the worship of Talos was banned. Ulfric Stormcloak fought in the war, and felt the emperor has betrayed the Nords. So, he murdered the King of Skyrim and began screaming about Talos. It's all just a ploy to become King himself, but some people still follow him. They're all usually Nords who don't like outsiders, but they still follow him. He's taken over about half of Skyrim, but the empire has the other half. Whiterun is neutral. Now, Ulfric dislikes anyone who isn't a Nord. His followers don't like anyone who isn't a Nord. They bully Dunmer, Khajiit, and Argonians the worst. In Stormcloak territories Dunmer are forced into poverty, Khajiit aren't allowed into the cities, and Argonians are given the worst jobs available. That's about all there is to it.".

I ask, "Does the empire treat you this way?". She shakes her head, stands, and tells me, "Long live the empire. Long live the emperor.". She helps me up, then says, "Come on, we need to find out how to get to High Hrothgar.". She sees the Nord working and walks up to her. The two share a short exchange, then my lover returns and says, "There's a path of 7,000 steps across the river.". She takes my hand and we both begin walking, crossing the bridge and reaching the base of the mountain. As we begin walking up the steps my lover runs her thumb over the back of my hand, promising me, "The next time we're in a nice room I swear I'll give you the night of your life. I'm really sorry you had to see all of that, I forgot Ivarstead was under Ulfric's control.".

I rub her hand back and assure her, "It's fine. I'm just shocked at what happened. Does that occur in every city you go to that's under Stormcloak control?". She shakes her head and tells me, "Usually the guards stop me before I'm even in the town.". Our conversation is cut off by a few wolves bounding down towards us. Two short hits later and we're walking over their corpses, continuing up the mountain. The path of grey stones is slippery with snow, the place barren besides the occasional tree that pops up growing out of the mountainside. It's almost peaceful.

We see a man sitting near a stone tablet sticking out of the snow, but we ignore him and keep walking. The journey is slowly becoming more boring. We don't feel like talking, nothing is attacking us, and the wind isn't even blowing. My friend suddenly asks me, "Do you think there's really 7,000 steps?". I shrug, then notice she's looking at the ground. I hold in my laugh and ask, "Are you really counting the steps?". The Khajiit nods and tells me, "I'll tell you how many there are when we reach the end.". I shake my head and allow us to once again fall into silence. We pass some more people, and the air slowly thins as we climb higher and higher up the mountain. The steps go up, down, and curl around the mountain. Finally, we reach a place where the steps are sandwiched between two cliffs.

My friend freezes, draws her bow, and says, "Look up there. Frost troll. Get some fire spells ready, I'm going to shoot at him.". I look up at the cliffs and see a troll scavenging around on top. My friend releases an arrow and the beast howls, looking around for who attacked him. My lover laughs and fires again, but this time I join her and throw a ball of fire at the monster. It screams and falls down, his body still on top of the cliff. My lover puts up her weapon and tells me, "Good job.". We both keep walking, but soon we reach the giant temple that can only be High Hrothgar. I take my lover's hands and ask, "Anything to say before we go in?". The Khajiit swallows and says, "700.". I blink and ask, "What?". My lover explains, "There are only 700 steps.". I chuckle and tighten my grip of her hand, pulling her up the stairs to the temple.

My lover freezes at the top and I turn to her. The woman freezes and mumbles, "I'm scared.". I instantly turn and wrap my arms around her, asking her, "Why? What do you have to be afraid us?". The Khajiit looks at the ground and tells me, "What if I'm not the 'Dragonborn'? What if it was a mistake? These people are really important in Skyrim, and they're masters of 'The Voice'. I didn't even know what I was doing. I just shouted.". I rub her back and assure her, "What you did was an amazing feat, and I've never read about anyone doing anything similar. You're the damned Dragonborn, and who cares about 'The Graybeards'? They weren't around when I was around, or I at least didn't hear anything about them.".

"Besides, they're monks. They have to be if they live all the way up here away from the world. Monks wouldn't hurt you, you're the person they're looking for, and they'll show you what you're doing. I should be more concerned, they might not like random strangers wandering into their halls.". The Khajiit looks up at me, winds her own arms around me, and asks, "You really think all that's true?". I nod and assure her, "I believe it with all of my heart.". The woman leans in and I lean in to meet her halfway, both of us enjoying the kiss. When we pull back I ask my lover, "Are you ready to go in and face your destiny?". The woman nods and whispers, "I'm ready.".

* * *

><p><strong>Note: 'A Life Across the Ages' is out, and so is 'Maid in Whiterun'. While 'Maid in Whiterun' is the current winner, I might still do 'Sticks and Stones'. However, it would be after two of my stories are over.<strong>


	39. The Graybeards

**Dovahkiin POV:**

When we enter I see a few monks sitting in a circle, but instantly almost all of them rise and leave. However, one of them walks over and motions at us. Serana hangs back and I walk to meet him, the man starting the conversation, "So a Dragonborn has arrived in this age of strife, and it appears with a companion at her side. Why have you come here?". I nervously swallow before explaining, "I was called here by your Thu'um.". The man nods and agrees, "We called you, but you must forgive me for being cautious. We've had more than one false Dovahkiin come to us. Please, show us your power.". I nod and try to copy what I did. It's surprisingly easy.

An uncomfortable swelling occurs in my lungs and travels up my throat, my insides seeming to vibrate as the swelling reaches my mouth. I pry open my jaws and allow my vocal cords to do what they want, a shout bursting from me. "_Fus._". The man staggers back as my scream washes over him, but the frail looking monk easily recovers and looks at me with admiration in his grey eyes. Before I can speak the man says, "Dovahkiin. It's an honor to be in your presence. I'm Master Arngeir. My fellows would speak to you, but their Thu'ums are so powerful it prevents them. Maybe later they shall let you hear their voices, but for now we can't be too careful. Now, what is it you wish from us?".

I honestly don't know what I want, but I make something up and tell him, "I want to learn what this 'Thu'um' is.". The Graybeard looks shocked and asks, "Did nobody explain to you what it is? Did they not even tell you what you are?". I shake my head and the man groans. "You're the Dragonborn. Otherwise known as the 'Dovahkiin'. The Dragonborn is a mortal man or woman of any race born with the soul of a dragon, or what the dragons would call "Dovah Sos". Dragonblood. Your dragon blood enables you to use the dragon's ability to absorb a slain dragon's soul, thereby receiving knowledge of any Thu'um you wish rather than having to learn it through practice.".

"It's unknown if there can be more than one Dragonborn at any given time, but there is one assumption that's safe. You are the last Dragonborn. Hundreds have come before you, but that legacy shall end once you're buried in the ground. And, now you have come to us to learn the way of the Thu'um. We shall gladly teach you, if that is what you wish.". Serana has been silent through the whole thing, but has been steadily edging her way towards us. When the man is done talking the vampire reaches out and gently takes my arm. When I turn my head to her the woman explains, "Come on, these guys are crazy. Let's get out of here before we end up being some weird trophies on their wall.".

The woman comes down and intertwines her fingers with mine, but Arngeir instantly says, "No! You can't leave, it's your destiny to be here! Please, allow us to prove you have the soul of a dragon.". Serana tugs on my hand, but I refuse to move and tell the man, "Okay, prove it.". The man walks over to an empty area of the ground and uses his Thu'um on the floor, another word etching itself into the stone. He steps back and motions at the area. "Go ahead. Approach it, and you'll absorb the word of power.". I release the hand of my lover and slowly walk towards the softly glowing word, the ancient chanting once again filling my head.

When I'm standing above the word I look straight down, the strange tendrils of energy once again reaching out and grabbing me. But this time when they latch on the pain is a thousand times worse, a strange iciness gripping my guts and stabbing them with invisible icicles. I howl in pain and fall to the ground, doing a sick jig on the unforgiving ground. I hear Serana roar and a scream of terror, my lover obviously fearing for my life. I attempt to call out and tell her I'm alright, but the howling won't stop. The tendrils slowly stop, but I curl up on myself and begin gasping for breath. My body slowly ceases to shake, and I uncurl myself. When I stand up I find Serana pinning Arngeir to the ground, her fangs snapping at his throat. The man's frail hands on her head are the only thing saving his life.

I quickly stand up and yell, "Stop! Stop! I'm completely okay!". The woman looks up and pulls her head back from the man, but keeps pinning him. Arngeir looks at me with pleading eyes, obviously hoping the vampire gets off of him. I repeat to Serana, "I'm fine. I'm fine.". The woman stands up and slowly backs away, but continues eyeing the Graybeard. When the man rises I apologize, "I'm sorry. Now, what was that?". The Nord fixes his frayed beard as he explains, "The second word of the shout you know. There are three words to every shout, and more shouts than you could ever imagine. Go on, try it out. I've already taught you what you need to know. Shout again, but allow the full power of your Thu'um to burst through. Do you understand?". I nod and once again allow my shout to fill up my chest.

I shout, but this time the power swells even more and comes out twice as fast. The Graybeard stumbles even more this time, but when he recovers he looks pleased. The man straightens up and says, "My fellows and I would usually test you on this shout, but it's clear you know it. Now, please follow me outside. I'd like to give you one last test, then send you off on a mission to prove yourself.". Serana clears her throat and questions, "How many test are you going to give her? It's like you're giving her test just to see if she's worthy to take another test.". I see anger in the man's eyes and quickly stop the situation by saying, "Come on, let's go outside. I'll take the test.".

Arngeir quickly leads me outside, and Serana glues herself to my side. When we're outside the man leads me over to a post, two gates a distance away from us. He points towards the ground and shouts again, another word engraved in the ground. I once again go through the painful process of absorbing the word, but Serana doesn't attack Arngeir and the pain is shorter than before. When I'm up the man motions for me to stand by him. When I'm close to the post he points at the gates and explains, "I'll teach you the shout quickly, then go stand by the gates. I'll open them, and want you to use your shout to get past it. Finally, I'll give you the final test. Understand?". When I nod he walks down to the gates, shouting to open them.

Without thinking I grasp for my new knowledge, my insides swelling with a new power. When I shout I feel myself being forced through the air, slamming into a rock. I groan and back up, then realize I'm past the gate. I turn to see Arngeir smiling, and Serana rushing to catch up to me. The Graybeard approaches me and congratulates, "Good job, Dovahkiin. That was called 'Whirlwind Sprint'. Use it wisely.". Serana stands beside me as the monk pulls a map from his pocket. He marks a spot and hands it to us. "That's where you need to go. Find the ancient horn of our group's founder. Any questions?".

I open my mouth, but Serana cuts into the conversation by saying, "No, goodbye.". The vampire grabs me and leads me away (I shove the map in my pocket), our fingers intertwining. We go back through the building and exit it, returning to the mountain. Serana drops my hand and turns around, instantly asking me, "Are you really going to go find some obscure horn?". I nod and tell her, "You heard what he said. I'm Dragonborn. It's my destiny to go find the horn, so I'll go find the horn. Besides, I'm sure this ordeal will be over soon. All we have to do is stick it out.". I think of something and try my best to sound promising as I tell her, "I'm certain this place has a bed. If I bring them back their stupid horn, then they might let us use one.".

The Nord's eyes light up and she tells me, "You know, getting the horn might not be that bad. Can we grab a carriage down in Ivarstead?". I shrug and begin walking. "Maybe, but there are hardly any there. If we're lucky there will be one, but it's more likely we'll have to walk.". The woman sighs in hopelessness, but remains rather silent as we continue walking down the mountain. I feel her arm wrap around my shoulders and I melt into her side, the snowy mountain path slippery beneath our boots. We pass our dead enemies on the way down, but we never bother stopping. I have an important mission to fulfill, and the sooner it's over the sooner I have a bed. Probably.

When we reach Ivarstead the sun is rising, and it's no longer tinted red. I suppose that's good, but Serana and I both still hiss when the rays hit our skin. Most of the residents of the city are asleep, so I don't have any problems like I did at the inn. Even remembering what happens sends a pang of embarrassment through me. It's one thing to be talked down to while you're by yourself, but it's a completely different experience to be talked down to in front of the one you love. I was terrified Serana would look at me differently for what happened, but instead it seems she's looking at me with even more love in her red eyes.

However, that doesn't ease the worry that's gnawing at my guts. Nevertheless, I'm able to push that thought out of my mind once we find a carriage. The Nord eyes me with suspicion, and only takes the money when my lover offers it. Serana doesn't thank the man, and hurriedly sits down beside me in the back of the wagon. As we begin to roll away my lover reaches out, placing her hand on my thigh and rubbing my leg comfortingly. I reach down and loosely take her hand in my own. I bring it up to my lips and give it a slight kiss, rubbing my thumb over her freezing skin. We both remain silent as the horse drags the carriage along the bumpy road, the only sound the _clink_ of the beast's hooves on the stone.


End file.
